Kyra's Tale (Book 1Water) INTERTWINED
by FantasyWorld1
Summary: The stories her grandmother told sparked Kyra's desire for adventure. When she and her older siblings freed a boy in the Iceberg, little did the twelve year old know that her life was about to change. As Kyra aids the Avatar in his journey to the North Pole, she learns more about herself than she could have ever imagined.
1. Chapter 1

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. My Grandmother told my siblings and I about the days when the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads lived in peace and harmony. That all changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

The Southern Water Tribe was once a beautiful nation filled with culture, prosperity, and joy. I was proud to come from a tribe of people with such a history. Of course, that was history. I didn't remember anything other than war and struggle. My older brother would bring out the realist side of me, reminding me that we can't get out of the war. Meanwhile, my older sister Katara, would tell me that there was a still hope. Hope that the Avatar-the master of all four elements-would return and save the world.

I didn't know who or what to believe. All I knew was that the Fire Nation started this war. That was why I hated them. I would spit on the ground whenever someone would mention Fire Lord Ozai and Fire Lord Sozin. We were all equal, and one nation couldn't overpower the other. That was what my Father told me.

They attacked our tribe when I was a little girl. The only thing I remembered was black soot falling from the sky-a sign that danger was coming. Everyone knew who they were coming for: my sister. She was the last known Waterbender of our tribe, or so they believed. Little did they know that I would be possess the ability to control water, something that was once common amongst our tribe. Gran Gran told me that all the Waterbenders were captured by the Fire Nation. It ended in a bloody battle, and she said she couldn't be more hopeful when she discovered my talents.

That was when that spark of hope reignited in my heart. I still clung to it, even though I believed it was very unlikely that we could ever defeat the Fire Nation. We couldn't change history and save the Air Nomads, but we could _make_ history. When Sokka, Katara, and I discovered the boy in the iceberg, I knew things were about to change.

Our lives were intertwined with his.


	2. The Boy In The Iceberg (Part 1)

The cold South Pole wind rushed through my hair, as I canoed with my older siblings-Sokka and Katara-across the ocean that was glazed with breaking ice. We were hoping to catch tonight's dinner, and if that didn't work out-well, then we had to wait until next season-whenever that would be. It was hard to find fish because of the freezing temperatures. They usually came around when the sun's rays were able to touch the rippling water.

I spread my arms and legs against the little corner of my canoe that I shared. Being the youngest of twelve years old in a family like mine helped me gain the advantage of not doing much. Yes; as a girl I did help around, but I yearned the adventure that hunting brought. Most of the time I was in charge of the younger children until my brother trained them to be "warriors". Sokka was officially the oldest male in our village ever since the raid, so that left even _more_ pressure on his hands.

"It's not getting away from me this time," he said in a boastful voice. "Watch and learn, girls. This is how you catch a fish."

I smirked. The last time he went fishing was with Dad, and Dad caught the fish for him and pretended that it was _Sokka_ who caught the fish. To prove that girls can be good just as good at hunting as boys, Katara dragged me along with him to prove him wrong. If only she knew hunting wasn't the same as fishing.

"How about you actually catch a fish this time, Fish Catching Master," I remarked, my voice dull and dry.

Sokka covered my mouth with his hand. "Don't say anything Kyra, or else you'll scare it away and it'll be your fault we won't have dinner."

"Mmhmm. I can already smell it cookin," he continued. I rolled my eyes as he stared dreamily at the fish. I made a fist; he annoyed me so much whenever he tried acting all confident. I wanted to get back at him for taunting me, but I didn't know what to do. By the looks of it, Katara seemed to find the perfect distraction.

She took off her gloves and moved her hand in the motion of a small circle. A little bubble started to form. From its wobbling, it took me a few seconds to notice that there was a fish floating inside. Hey, she caught dinner! _Now we could all go home if Sokka cooperates!_ I thought. She also had the ability to control water, but I wasn't as eager to practice as she was. All I wanted to do with my abilities was mess around.

"I caught one!" she announced, not turning her eyes away from the target.

"Bet that would show Sokka," I muttered.

"Be quiet Katara!" Sokka scolded our sister.

"But look! Katara caught one!" I repeated, pointing at her floating water bubble. I pursed my lips to prevent any other retort from coming out of my mouth.

"Kyra!" Katara called out. "Bending practice!"

I slipped off the glove from my hand, letting the cold air numb it slightly. Concentrating on my hand motions, I carefully tried to feel the water's movements. In no time I joined Katara in trying to keep the bubble alive, but it didn't last long. My movements started getting out of control as Katara's went in a different direction.

It only took a few seconds for Sokka's spear to pop the bubble. The fish plopped itself back in the water; it was also safe to say that my brother was mad. He turned at us with furred eyebrows, glaring.

"Oops..." I said, guilty.

"Hey!" Katara protested.

"Ugh! Why is it every time you two play with magic water, I get soaked?" Sokka complained.

"It's not magic, it's Waterbending!" Katara explained (for the millionth time), "and it's-"

"Yeah, yeah!" he interrupted. "An ancient art unique to are culture, blah, blah, blah. Look, I'm I'm just saying that if I had weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself."

"Sokka, we're not weird," I started, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We're special. You're one that's weird."

Katara and I just stared at him with our arms folded. I noticed at this moment that I looked strikingly similar to my sister, aside from our hair styles. While her's was long and braided, I wore my hair in two braids that were bonded by traditional Water tribe beads. They reminded me that I had a special connection to the water.

"Hey! I'm not weird," Sokka argued, folding his arms.

"Yeah, you're not." I lied (intentionally).

"Thank you," he replied, cluelessly.

"You're the one that makes muscles whenever you see your reflection," Katara smirked.

I rolled my eyes as Sokka stared at his reflection with a smug smile. His sleeves were rolled up, and he was pretending to make muscles with his bony arms; what a joke. That was my older brother we're talking about!

"That's weird," I reasoned. Katara and I gave him a knowing smile. Even though we had our differences, we joined forces in order to get back at our brother. It was Katara who took care of us; _she_ was the responsible one. _I'm_ the fun one.

However, our victory was short lived. When I felt a wave push our little boat, I looked ahead and a gasp escaped my throat. We were heading for a tight packed area of brash ice! How were we going to get passed _that_?!

With my heart pounding against my chest, I grabbed a paddle on instinct as Sokka grabbed the other. The two of us steered and tried to make sure we didn't get in any dead ends, avoiding different sized pieces of the broken ice. They all lead through a narrow gateway. Somehow, Katara thought we were going to make it through with _her_ commands.

"Watch it!" she cried. "Go left! Go left!"

"We're trying!" I shouted.

The thing was, I was going _left_. Sokka on the other hand, was going _right._ The fact that we paddled on two opposite sides didn't really help us. We kept bumping into bigger and bigger pieces! Some even sent us flying in another direction! Those weren't helping either!

Our canoe got stuck in between a dead end formed between two chunks of ice. I felt myself sliding into a brash of ice head first. At least the snow let us have a soft landing, the bad part being we were pushed by another wave. Ice-cold water dripped onto my face, but I didn't have to worry. If you grew up in a village that was mainly built of ice, you got use to it.

Great. We were in the middle of no where, and then there was Sokka.

"Welcome to Far Away From Home Village," I stated, gloomily. "Population: us."

"Thank Sokka," Katara said, bitterly. "You call that left?"

"You two don't like my steering?" Sokka started.

"You don't know how to steer!" I interrupted.

"Well then, maybe you two should've Waterbended us out of the ice," Sokka continued, mocking gestures with his hand.

"So it's our fault?" Katara asked, irritated.

"Ugh, I _knew_ I should've left you two home. Leave it to girls to screw this up," he complained.

I would've interrupted, but getting involved in an argument with them would mean bad news for me. That was why I always tried to be neutral. My sister always got frustrated over Sokka's views of feminism and masculinity. So this time, I just enjoyed the show.

Katara flailed her arms wildly, her furred eyebrows forming wrinkles above them. When she was mad, there was no end.

"It was nice knowing you Sokka," I mumbled for him to hear.

"You are the most _sexist_ , _immature_ , _nut brained_..." she started to ramble, her voice firm and loud. As she let go of her temper the iceberg started to heave slowly. I didn't think it was such a big deal. Just a little crack, that's all. "Ugh! I'm embarrassed to be related to you! And I bet Kyra is too! Ever since Mom died I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier!"

It was the second crack that grabbed our attention. If it was going to break, we were going to fly off this iceberg!

"Uh... Katara?" Sokka asked, his voice shaking.

"You took Kyra's childhood away from her!" she continued. "She was the only one who had the chance to run around outside, but instead she was stuck in our igloo helping me! She's the only one who has enough consideration to help me out!"

Another crack created a little dent on the glacier. I winced at the sound; I hoped she wouldn't go too far. "Um-I'm glad that you think more highly of me than Sokka..." I stuttered, "but I'd advise for you to..."

"Katara, settle down!" Sokka interrupted for me.

"We even had to wash your clothes! Have you smelled your dirty socks? Well let me tell you... _Not pleasant_!"

"She's not wrong, Sokka," I backed her up, pinching my nose with my fingers, "they stink."

"Katara!" Sokka repeated.

"No, that's it! I'm done helping you! Come on, Kyra," Katara paused to grab my hand, "from now on, you're on your own!"

A loud rip made me jolt. The iceberg that determined whether we'd live or die split open entirely. The pieces disintegrated into giant pieces of ice. Sokka wrapped his arm protectively around me as our glacier was pushed by a wave. The icy wind sent chills down my spine, but before I knew it we settled down again.

"Woah..." was the only sound that came from my mouth.

"You've gone from weird to freakish, Katara!" Sokka spat.

"You mean, I did that?" Katara gasped in shock.

"Yup, congratulations," he answered dryly.

That was when something extremely strange happened. A blue, luminous glow peaked from beneath the ocean. I _had_ to get a closer look, but Sokka pulled me back by my hood. My eyes widened as this _huge,_ glowing sphere of ice broke free from the water. I held onto our ice raft as we were forced backward to give room for the strange iceberg to settle.

I widened my eyes to get fully see what was inside. It took me a few seconds to look through the glossy sphere of ice and spot a bald figure in a meditation phase; a boy! I stepped back and gasped when his eyes started to glow white. His strange arrow marking glowed glowed too.

"He's alive! We have to help!" Katara exclaimed. Before I could say iceberg, she grabbed Sokka's boomerang that he hid behind his hood. She skipped across the pieces of brash ice without hesitation.

"Of course, since he's glowing," I said, dryly.

"Katara, get back here!" Sokka protested. "We don't know what that thing is!"

I followed behind him, skipping on the row of ice as he tried to stop our sister from doing anything stupid. He was too late, since she got his club and started hitting the big ice sphere...

One.

Two.

Three, not even a big dent.

Four.

"Can we go home now?" I asked.

Five. That was when the sphere slowly teared itself apart, sending an incredible beam of light. It stretched all the way to the sky, and it got too bright that I had to shield myself from it. Sokka and Katara covered themselves like I did, and we all looked up just as the smoke died out.

The boy's body was still aglow; his eyes were glowing a rather eerie white.

"Stop!" Sokka commanded, raising his spear.

As the boy's color faded, he closed his eyes and gently slipped from the newly formed glacier. Katara rushed over to catch him, an he landed in her arms. The boy revealed to wear very strange clothes: a bright orange top and yellow pants. They were very light for someone around the Water Tribe.

Sokka started poking him with the tip of his spear, as if that would've done anything. Katara furred his eyebrows at our brother. "Stop it!" She pushed his weapon away, turning the body over. I sighed in relief to know that he was alive when I heard a small groan.

"I need to ask you something," the boy said, weakly.

"What?" Katara asked.

"Please, come closer," he persisted.

"What is it?"

The next response was kind of a shock: "Will you go penguin sledding with me?" His eyes lit up and he said all this way to fast.

"Uh... sure," even Katara was lost for words. There was something off about him; one fact being how eager he was after he just fell from a ten story ice glacier, "fainting".

"So you just got freed from being frozen in an iceberg, and all you can think about now is penguin sledding?" I questioned.

"Yep!" he exclaimed.

"Can I come?" I asked, hesitantly.

"Sure..." the boy answered, lifting himself in the air. Without. Moving. A. Muscle! He started rubbing the back of his head cluelessly, looking around at our little kingdom of ice. Sokka was just as surprised too, but he didn't take it lightly. He backed away from the boy and aimed his spear at him.

"Really?"

"Aaaah!"

"What's going on here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. It was as if he didn't notice that Sokka and I were staring at him in complete disbelief! That was mostly because we never had any phenomenon like this happen around our quiet, little village.

"You tell us! How'd you get in the ice?" Sokka stepped forward, poking the boy with his spear _again_. "And why aren't you frozen?"

The boy calmly pushed Sokka's weapon away. "I'm not sure."

We stopped in our tracks as we heard a low, (but loud) grunt come from the other side of the glacier. The boy lifts himself into the air-again, to our surprise-and follows the sound of the strange voice. My siblings and I looked at each other, raising our eyebrows in question. What could've possibly made a sound like that? Other than my Sokka's stomach.

"Appa, you're alright!" I heard the boy laugh, rather enthusiastically. When we followed him, my mouth instantly dried and dropped open. It was a _huge_ animal with horns and he had the same type of tattoo that started from its back. I never saw a creature with six legs and two horns sticking out from its arrowed head.

"What _is_ that thing?" Sokka mused.

"And what's an Appa?" I followed.

"Not what, but _who,_ " the boy fixed. "This is Appa, my flying bison."

"Flying bisons aren't usually found near the South Pole," I voiced my thoughts.

"Right," Sokka doubted. "And this is Katara, my flying sister-and her flying sidekick sister, Kyra."

"How about I make you my sidekick, sidekick?" I retorted.

The boy opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by a loud grunt. Suddenly, a huge blob of goo shot out from its nose! The boy ducked just in time, but it landed on my brother! Green snot covered his clothes and his head! I smugly placed my hands on my hipster and a huge smirk like sneer formed on my face. Katara couldn't help but smile too!

"Aaaaahhhh!" Sokka shrieked. He first tried to shoo it away with his hands, but eventually he knelt down on the floor and rubbed his head against the snow! I couldn't help but point at him and laugh!

"Don't worry, it'll wash out," the boy reassured.

"Ugh!" Sokka continued to complain.

"So, do you guys live around here?" the boy asked.

"Don't answer that!" My brother stood up, still covered in snot. "Did you see that crazy bolt of light? He was probably trying to signal the Fire Navy."

"You're just mad because you got snot all over," I teased. However, part of me did reason for him. We were so far away from the rest of the world, that _any_ foreign traveler could've been an enemy. It just seemed a little befuddling that a kid would be a spy.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure he's a spy for the Fire Navy," Katara said, mockingly. "You can tell by the _evil_ look in his eye."

That was when the boy raised his eyebrows and tried to smile innocently. Okay, he got me there. No Fire Nation spy was lurking around in our wilderness of ice.

"The paranoid one is our brother, Sokka," Katara introduced. "You never told us your name."

"I'm A-ahh-ahhh-ahhhhh-AAAAACHHOOO!" The boy-who was about to tell us his name-skyrocketed so far, that I had to lift my head and stand on my tippy toes to spot him. It was only until he reached a point as a tiny speck in the air, that he came back down and slid across the ice. "I'm Aang!"

"That was..." I couldn't find the right words, "weird."

"You just sneezed!" Sokka exclaimed. "And flew ten feet into the air!"

"Really?" Aang scratched his head, "it seemed higher than that."

I couldn't peal my eyes off him. My jaw dropped... there was no possible way he was able to fly so high into the air... unless he was...

No. He couldn't be-they were extinct. The bison, and those weird tricks made perfect sense.

"You're an Airbender!" Katara gasped.

"Sure am!" Aang said.

"I was a little unsure at first, but you are wearing the typical Airbender wear," I acknowledged.

This caused him to look down and check himself out, "yep, you're right."

"Giant light beams... flying bison... Airbenders..." Sokka sighed, "I think I have Midnight Sun Madness. I'm going home to where stuff makes sense."

"How will you get home without _us_?" I questioned.

Sokka stood in a defensive manor, raising his fist in protest. "I can get home by myself! I'm not _twelve_!"

"Oh yeah?" I smirked. "Do you go Northwest or Northeast?"

He took a moment to realize that the only thing that separated us from home was a huge ocean and huge blocks of ice. I didn't know the way either, but I just wanted to prove him wrong once. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to taunt him.

"Well if you guys are stuck, Appa and I can give you a lift," Aang suggested, propelling himself onto the bison.

Now _that_ sounded like a good idea; mostly because it made sense. How else were we going to get home?

"We'd love a ride! Thanks!" Katara eagerly ran to the bison, and Aang pulled her up. As I approached the two, Katara helped me onto the saddle. I liked the hard surface of it, because it made me feel safe and secured.

"Alright!" I exclaimed.

"Make yourself comfortable," Katara warned. "This will be a long trip."

"Oh no," Sokka said. "I am _not_ getting on that fluffy snot monster."

"Are you hoping some other kind of monster will come along and give you a ride home?" Katara questioned. "You know... before you freeze to death?"

"I don't think there are any polar bear dogs around here," I added suggestively.

Sokka pointed his finger in the air and opened his mouth, but the only thing that came out of it was a loud grunt. He slouched his shoulders in defeat, unwillingly joining us.

I sat in between Katara and Sokka. While my sister waited for the action with an eager smile, a frown was spread on my brother's face, his arms folded across his chest. I carefully rubbed my index finger against my chin; I was in an inner debate on whether or not Appa was a flying bison. I just hoped for the best and assumed we'd get home before our Grandmother would kill us.

"Okay. First time flyers hold on tight!" Aang instructed, enthusiastically. "Appa, yip yip!"

He pulled onto the bison's reigns, causing a little grunt to escape his mouth. It really looked like Appa was going to take off into the air as he lifted his tail-but he landed flat on the ocean with a splash.

"Come on Appa! Yip-yip!" Aang repeated, frustratedly swinging his reigns.

"Wow. That was truly amazing," Sokka said, sarcastically.

"Appa's just tired. A little rest and he'll be soaring through the sky," Aang made a gesture with his hand, "you'll see!"

A smile stitched onto his face as he stared in the direction of Katara. He smiled at her bright eyed, and I couldn't help but stifle a laugh as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" Katara asked.

"Oh," Aang blinked. "I was smiling?"

My brother sighed, "uuuuuuuuuugghhhh."

It was pretty obvious right then and there that Aang had a crush on my sister. I thought it was kind of cute, but Sokka always had to ruin the mood. All I wanted to focus on now, was finding our way back home.

The sun was setting, and the blue sky has gotten a bit darker. Dim rays of light still peaked out in the horizon, and the wind's breeze was cooler. We were all tired, and didn't talk to each other much. Sokka and I occasionally argued, since that was kind of our thing.

"I'm telling you, you do not need another watch tower!" I told him.

"Why not? Don't you think we need to keep ourselves protected?" he argued. "Besides, that huge bolt of light could have signaled intruders!"

"Another watch tower won't make you a warrior," I said. "You're just being paranoid!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Am not!"

"Yeah-Hey!"

I folded my arms and looked at him smugly. It was nice-feeling that sense of power, because it made me feel as if I wasn't just a twelve year old. But Sokka's glum face always got to me...

"Alright," I sighed. "Do you want some help with it?."

"That's a man's job," Sokka said.

"Building a _tower_?" I countered. "Out of snow?"

"It's not cooking or cleaning," he stated.

"You're just jealous mine will be better than yours," I challenged.

"Am not!"

"Wanna bet?"

He sighed again, slouching his shoulders in defeat. Someday he was going to need my help; he just didn't want to admit it.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Katara approach Aang. She leaned against the front of the saddle, where the wind was more likely to blow in your face.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Aang answered. "Do they always argue like that?"

Katara looked over at us, probably noticing that Sokka and I were leaning against each other. When I looked at the darkish sky, my eyes were starting to close.

"Sometimes," she replied. "But at the end of the day, they still love each other."

"They must have it tough," Aang agreed. "So, what'cha thinking about?"

"I guess I was wondering-you being an Airbender and all-if you have any idea what happened to the Avatar?" Katara asked.

My optimistic sister, thinking that the Avatar could return and save the world ever since this stupid war. If the Avatar, - master of all four elements-didn't return in the last hundred years, what made her think that Aang could be him? There was no way! The Avatar must've died when the Airbenders were attacked. I gave up hope a long time ago, despite the small bit still lingering.

Aang looked down, avoiding eye contact. "Uuhhh... no. Didn't know him. I mean, I knew some people... but I didn't, sorry." His stuttering seemed suspicious, as if he was hiding something. Eh, we all knew the Avatar was dead anyway.

"Okay. Just curious," Katara replied. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight!" Aang answered.

I stood up a bit to face Katara. "Goodnight Katara."

"Goodnight Kyra," she replied.

I laid my head next to Sokka's, gazing at the sky. My eyes still peaked open, not closing until the first star illuminated the eerie, black night

A/N:

Hey! I'm a fanfiction author from a website called Quotev. I published this fanfic on here to see if others would like to read it. I'm using this as practice to develop my writing. If you don't like these type of Fanfics, you don't have to read it. Please enjoy and leave a comment!


	3. The Boy In The Iceberg (Part 2)

You could say that when Gran Gran saw us sneak back to our village, she got a little surprise hiding for her in our tent. We arrived at night when the villagers were sucked into their dream world. At night, it was so quiet that you'd be able to hear footsteps almost a mile away. I was looking forward to surprising everyone with Aang, but it was kind of ruined.

Sokka and I laid in our bed skin sheets, woken by the smell of stewed prunes. The sour aroma filled the air, and we all knew that we were suckers for stewed prunes. Katara was cooking them under a fire, warming the cool air around us.

"Morning Kyra," she whispered. "How'd you sleep?"

"Tossing and turning, the usual," I said in a dull tone.

"What I saw," a familiar voice behind us spoke, "wasn't usual."

Not to my surprise, Gran Gran stood in front of us while holding a pile of clothes in her hands. Her furred eyebrows made her wrinkled skin stand out more, and her contracted blue eyes helped her put us on the spot. It wasn't hard to tell she knew about Aang; her glares would force you to admit anything. Ever since Mom died and Dad went to fight against the Fire Nation, it was Gran Gran who raised us as her own children-with the acception of Katara taking in a motherly role.

"What a surprise to see you here, Gran Gran!" I said, nervously. My voice quivered as I spoke, trying to create a distraction. "Here, Katara, I think it's time to do-"

"Kyra," Gran Gran scolded me with her warning tone.

My shoulders slouched as I admitted my defeat. "I guess my stalling didn't help?"

"No kidding," Sokka spoke up, his mouth full of stewed prunes.

"You're dish is getting cold," Katara told me. "I'll wake up Aang. You should sit and eat."

I thanked my sister as she set up the laundry on Sokka's bed, causing him to moan. I smirked right as I took in one spoon of stewed prunes. The heat was quite heavy, and made the prunes a bit soggier than expected. We sat quietly together as she left to wake up Aang. Since Sokka and I were really fast eaters, it didn't take long before we gathered all the villagers outside our tent. We stood out in the cold, staring blankly at the tent we set up last night.

The Southern Water Tribe was a small village that looked more like a camping site. According to Gran Gran's stories, we did have a beautiful houses and sculptures built of snow, but it was all destroyed during a raid that happened when I wasn't even born. The Fire Nation destroyed our home and culture, burying it within the rubble of the attacks.

"Now what you're going to see might be a bit unexpected," Sokka warned them.

"Cause he's an Airbender," I whispered in his ear.

"Right," he replied dryly.

The others stood silently, staring at the tent blankly. There were around thirty of us in our village. Gran Gran was the oldest and our Dad, Hakoda, was the Chief! This was almost like "royalty", only we were well respected because our Dad was a pretty big deal around here. The only difference between us and the typical Chief you'd find in an organized city, was that we had to do chores.

Finally, Katara came out of the tent with Aang. The villagers widened their eyes just like I did to get a better look. The children still held onto their mothers.

"Aang, this is the entire village. Entire village, Aang," Katara introduced him, gesturing to the crowd.

Just as Aang bowed to show respect, the villagers widened their eyes and backed one step away. I honestly didn't know what they were afraid of. It wasn't like they... oh, right! Sokka, Katara, and I were the first people to see an Airbender in the last hundred years.

"Katara, Katara," I said in a sing-song tone. "Watch and learn, _this_ is a proper introduction."

I put my arm around Aang, gesturing to each person as I introduced them. "Aang, this is..." I started listing all the names. Each time I mentioned a name, the villager would simply cling harder onto the person next to them.

I sighed. "Tough crowd."

"Why is everyone looking at me like that?" Aang said with frustration. He looked at his clothes, "did Appa sneeze on me?"

"You look fine," I told him.

That was when Gran Gran stepped forward. "Well, no one has seen an Airbender in a hundred years. We thought they were extinct, until my granddaughters and grandson found you."

"Extinct?" Aang gasped, raising an eyebrow.

"And that's our history lesson for today," I patted him on the back sincerely.

"Aang, this is our Grandmother," Katara introduced.

"Call me Gran Gran," she replied, dryly.

Sokka stomped towards Aang, snatching the staff he held. He wildly turned it over, obviously frustrated. "What is this, a weapon? You can't stab anything with this!" he exclaimed.

"It's not for stabbing," Aang bended the air around him and pulled the staff back, "It's for Airbending!"

As he flicked the stick, his staff became a glider with two red wings. Nami, one of the little girls, jumped up and down with laughter.

"Magic trick!" she gasped with delight. "Do it again!"

"Not magic, Airbending," Aang corrected. "It lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly."

My brother rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "You know, last time I checked, humans can't fly!"

"Check again!" Aang said, confidently. He crouched down and held onto his glider. Before I knew it, he was putting on a show! My eyes grew wide with fascination, as this was the first time I ever saw an Airbender fly. Aang flew and made impressive circles and loops in the air. All of the kids cheered, and Katara seemed pretty amazed too. Sokka was the only one who was miserable the entire time.

When Aang was flying, I noticed that he was staring down and smiling brightly at something. It turned out that that 'someone' was my sister. I knew he thought she was pretty ever since that awkward moment yesterday. Aang was pretty thrilled with the amazed smile she was giving him.

I looked farther, and noticed that he was heading towards Sokka's watch tower! I sighed; instead of flirting with my sister, he should've been focusing on where he was going!

"Aang!" I called out.

He didn't snap out of his trance. I winced as he smashed right into Sokka's tower, breaking the bits of snow into pieces.

Sokka gasped. "My watch tower!"

He continued staring at it in dismay as I spoke. "Last time I checked, you can't think!" I retorted, remembering how he insulted Aang. I felt a smirk grow on my face as he marched towards the pile of destroyed snow.

"That was amazing!" Katara exclaimed, as she helped Aang up. I rushed by as well, as Sokka continued to examine the ruins of his tower in horror.

"Yeah," I added. "You were all whoosh and whoosh, but then you went all KABOOM-and landed on his watch tower," I concluded, while making exaggerated gestures with my hands.

When Aang was back on his feet, he twirled his glider shut. I decided to mess with Sokka by twisting my hand over and bending the snow to make him trip. I giggle escaped my throat as he landed on his back roughly.

"Great," Sokka sighed. "You're an Airbender, Katara and Kyra are Waterbenders, together you can just waste time all day long."

"Bending isn't a waste of time," I countered. "Unlike building more watch towers."

"You two are Waterbenders?" Aang exclaimed, as I spoke.

"Uh... Not exactly. Well, sort of. Not yet," Katara stuttered.

Gran Gran walked up to us, mainly turning to my sister. She was probably going to tell her to do chores. I had a _lot_ of free time yesterday to finish my load when Sokka was busy playing "warrior" with the kids. Since I was the oldest of the kid group, I was the one in charge until he took the boys to "train." It was as if he expected eight year old children to fight an entire army.

"All right. No more playing. Come on, Katara, you have chores. You can go and play, Kyra," she instructed, as she pulled my sister away.

In our family, we took turns on chores. The making beds, cleaning things, and the internal stuff were mostly for Katara, Gran Gran, and I. Sokka constantly assumed that since he was the man of the family, he should be the one to go out to the "wilderness", which was basically ice and heavy snow.

The little kids were a lot of fun, but I was glad to have someone my age around for once. I didn't know how old Aang really was, but he seemed like a normal twelve year old boy to me. Well, for an Airbender who was trapped in an iceberg that was.

I decided to ask him about his life before he was in the iceberg. Even though it was mainly for research purposes, I didn't realize how much time passed by.

"So, Aang. Did you have any friends where you were from?" I asked.

He scratched his head. "I had a lot before I ended up here. However, for some reason they stopped wanting to be friends."

"I guess it's because they thought you were a better Airbender than them," I reasoned.

"You have no idea," Aang said, laughing awkwardly.

After a few moments of silence, he spoke up. "Want to see a trick?" he offered.

"Uh, sure," I shrugged.

The other kids started to crowd around Aang, as he showed off his "Waterbending". He tried to do something with snow, but ended up getting his tongue frozen to his staff surprisingly. I had no idea how he was able to do that, or if he was aiming to do that in the first place. Katara and Gran Gran turned around to take a look, and my Grandmother frowned as she saw the kid joke around. While the children laughed along and clapped at his joke, the grown ups shook their heads in disappointment. It made me realize that Aang needed a friend his age, and he was going to get one.

"Sthee? Now my tongue ith thuck to my sthaff," he slurred.

"We're you aiming for that?" I asked, smiling.

Aang turned around and smiled, with his tongue sticking out. A child walked over to him and yanked his weapon! "Now this is a stick!" I exclaimed. Katara was probably hoping I'd show Gran Gran how mature Aang was, but he was twelve! He needed to have fun even if he was frozen in an iceberg for I don't-know-how-many-years.

I tapped on his shoulder. "Want to see a Waterbending trick?"

He smiled and replied with a, "sure!"

The kids followed us, as we walked over to the small tunnel made of ice that was mostly used for business, to put it in simple words. I was going to show him one of my new freezing water tricks, but Aang ended up getting himself stuck in there.

"Wow! Everything freezes in here!" he exclaimed. The kids laughed as his butt was the only thing that was not frozen. I couldn't contain my laughter, but I fixed myself until Sokka marched over to us angrily.

"Ugh!" he complained. "Kyra, get him out of here! This lesson is for worriers only."

"Worriers, huh? A bunch of eight year olds?" I questioned, folding my arms in disbelief.

"I promise, I'll do anything!" Sokka begged.

"Okay, you gotta say Kyra is the best sister in the world and she's always right and I'm stupid."

"What? No way!"

"Or else you're not getting Aang out of the way!" I pestered.

"Fine! Kyra is the best sister in the world and she's always right and... Uh, _please_ don't make me say the rest," Sokka said in a monotone voice.

I smiled in satisfaction, whistling at the children. "Last one on Aang's bison is a rotten egg!"

This got the kids' attention-including Aang's. The next thing I knew, we were all taking turns to slide on Appa's tail. I was about to go next, until Sokka marched over to us again. I wouldn't blame him; even the little boys rushed over to join in the fun.

"I said my sister was smart for nothing?!" my brother complained from below.

I slid down Appa's soft tail, the warmth rushing through me even just after one try. I landed smoothly on the snow, staring my brother in the eyes.

"Nope!" I said, cheerfully. "It's a fact!"

Suddenly, I felt two feet kick me off the bison. I stumbled onto the snow, landing head first. Despite the cold snow freezing onto my face, I couldn't get mad at Niko. He was one of the little boys Sokka was trying to train; the only one who didn't harbor the worrier wolf tail hairstyle.

"Stop! Stop it right now!" Sokka demanded, flailing his arms with anger. "What's wrong with you? We don't have time for fun and games with a war going on!"

Aang, who was sitting on top of Appa, floated down to ground level. He raised an eyebrow at Sokka. "What war?"

That question really startled me. How did Aang not know about the war? Sure, we rescued him from being completely frozen to death, but that didn't mean he was completely oblivious to what was going on. Even _I_ knew about the seriousness of the War. That was the only reason why Sokka, Katara had to grow up quickly.

"You're kidding, right?" Sokka asked Aang, staring at him blankly.

Aang didn't answer his question, and instead focused his eyes on something else. It was a black and white winged creature with wide oval eyes, a buttoned nose, and small whiskers leaking from its nose.

"PENGUIN!" Aang exclaimed, dashing over to the creature in an incredible speed! He left me dumbfounded as he trailed after the penguin.

"He's kidding, right?" Sokka repeated, looking at me.

I shrugged, trailing after Aang. "I gotta see if he's okay."

I really hoped he was kidding.

Later on I found Aang, who was surrounded by a colony of penguins. I remembered how Dad took Sokka, Katara, and I here before he left. We spent our days merrily penguin sledding, when we were actually happy. I yearned for the days where our hearts were filled with less worry.

"There are so many penguins!" he exclaimed.

"Well, it is the South Pole. You'll find a lot here," I reasoned. "And remember when Sokka asked about the-"

I was interrupted by a familiar voice shouting Aang's name-Katara. I was going to ask about him if he knew anything about the war, but I guess I was going to have to hold it in for a while. I knew this was going to be difficult, like holding your pee when your brother takes hours in the toilet.

"Katara! You made it!" I greeted my sister. "We were hoping you'd come and help us catch a penguin."

My point was shown when he tried to catch one, but it just kept waddling away.

"Hey, come on little guy. Wanna go sledding?" Aang went after the penguin, but fell flat on his face.

"Does he know penguins don't speak?" I asked Katara. She laughed at my reaction and approached him.

Aang straightened himself up as she walked by. "I have a way with animals," he said. He put his arm out and imitated the penguin's waddle.

"There's more to catching a penguin than trying to _be_ the Penguin," I instructed. Aang stopped waddling and straightened himself once more. "I happen to be the best penguin sledder in the entire South Pole."

"Maybe you can give me some pointers?" Aang asked.

"How about we actually try to catch a penguin this time," I advised. "Katara is the best penguin catcher I know."

"Aang, I'll help you catch a penguin if you teach us Waterbending," Katara bargained.

"You got a deal!" Aang exclaimed, without even thinking. "Just one little problem. I'm an Airbender, not a Waterbender. Isn't there someone else in your tribe that can teach you two?"

Katara looked away in dismay. "No," she answered, "We're the only two Waterbenders in the whole South Pole."

"This isn't right. A Waterbender needs to master water," Aang said, shaking his head in disappointment.

"There's no one here that can teach us!" I countered. "I mainly use whatever I have to mess with my brother's head." I made a gesture of waves with my hand.

"You should know more than that!" What about the North Pole?" Aang suggested, "There's another Water Tribe up there, right? Maybe they have Waterbenders who could teach you?"

"Maybe," Katara shrugged, "but we haven't had contact with our sister tribe in a long time. It's not exactly "turn right at the second glacier". It's on the other side of the world!"

Aang's eyes lit up. "But you forgot; I have a flying bison," he started.

"That can't fly," I pointed out.

" _Yet,_ " he countered. "Appa and I can personally fly you guys to the North Pole! We're gonna find you a master!"

Katara smiled happily at the news. I wasn't so sure if I'd ever leave home. Home was _home,_ where everything and everyone that I knew were. I couldn't just abandon my family to find myself a master. It sounded scary, and Sokka would have to do all of the work...Yikes!

"That sounds... extravagant," I said, rather nervously.

"Besides, we never left home before," Katara said, looking at me.

Well, you think about it," Aang shrugged it off, "but in the meantime, can you teach me to catch one of those penguins?"

Katara lightened up, and stood straight like a teacher. "Okay, listen closely my young pupil," she said in a proper tone, putting her hands together. "Catching penguins is an ancient and sacred art-"

"Not as sacred as Waterbending," I whispered to Aang. He chuckled at my comment, but his expression changed when Katara teasingly glared at me with her eyes.

"And what do you have to say for yourself, Ms. Kyra of the Southern Water Tribe?" Katara mocked.

"Nothing, Master Katara," I spoke in a deeper tone, bowing respectively.

"Observe," my sister continued. She took a fish we once caught and tossed it me. Aang and I were instantly surrounded by a horde of hungry penguins. It was hard to not get pecked by the penguin's pointy beaks.

"Are we supposed to be eaten by penguins?" I asked, as they started nibbling on my arm

"Nope, your supposed to catch them, like this." She tapped a penguin on the shoulder, and hopped on it. The penguin fell on it's stomach and slid down through a little hole that was carved with ice.

It took me a second to realize that she got a head start, and it started with me whining: "No fair!" Aang and I tapped two penguins and we hopped onto their backs. With one nudge, they started sledding down the snowy landscape.

The last time I went penguin sledding was actually the year Dad left. I didn't even remember how old I was; that was how long ago it felt to us. Sledding down the steep, snowy hills with Aang and Katara brought back old memories. My heart soured as the Penguin I was riding slid down an icy slope. I was behind Aang by just an inch! We couldn't stop laughing as I landed in between my sibling and our new friend.

"I haven't done this since I was a kid!" Katara cried with laughter.

"You still _are_ a kid!" Aang reminded her.

"Don't grow up too fast!" I joked.

We entered a system of ice tunnels, where sunlight poured through the gapes in between. It made the cold and dark interior a bit brighter as we slid by them. I performed a few loops around the slippery edges, making the vision in front of me spin around.

Finally, the Penguins came to a stop. They flicked their tails higher so we could get off. I stumbled off one wing, softly landing on my stomach. I struggled to bow at the penguin before they waddled away and back to their colony.

When I looked up, my eyes were fixed at a horrifying sight.

"Woah..." Aang gasped. "What is that?"

It was the ship that embodied my village's tragic history. No one in our tribe forgot the day that the Fire Nation attacked. The ghost of our past lied within the booby traps and chunky piece of metal.

"A Fire Navy ship," Katara said with a pinch of bitterness. "A very bad memory for our people."

"We are more than just a village in the middle of no where," I informed Aang. "We had a beautiful culture that the Fire Nation took away from us. This ship haunted our tribe ever since Gran Gran was a little girl."

Aang seemed to be ignoring me, as he looked hypnotized by the structure. I had to admit, it was magnificent and alluring. I quickly walked up to Aang and followed him.

"Aang, stop! Kyra, you know better!" Katara said. "We're not aloud to go inside there! It could be booby trapped!"

She was obviously scared of going inside. I was looking forward of finding out what was inside, but I felt a hint of guilt. Even if something bad would happen, the changes of the booby traps working was something I could laugh at.

"If you want to be a bender, you have to let go of your fear," Aang advised. To be honest, I was surprised by how wise he was. However, Katara still seemed to hesitate.

"I never went inside that ship either," I spoke gently. "But I think this could be an adventure. Here, let me offer you my hand."

I spread my palm out to her, and she reluctantly took it. We headed slowly towards the ship. I seemed to hear my heartbeat grow louder as we walked in, as if it was an echo bouncing off the walls. The scenery darkened as we entered the interior of the ship.

We climbed up and entered the ship through a gaping hole in one of the compartments below the water line. We walked around the dark corridors inside, and passed many dark rooms. It was so quiet that even the tiptoes of the mice was loud enough to here.

"This ship has haunted my tribe since Gran Gran was a little girl," Katara narrated. "It was apart of the Fire Nation's first attacks."

Aang probably didn't get what was going on. He looked at us with a raised eyebrow. How was that possible? Everyone must have been affected by that war somehow, even him. He must have known about it.

"Okay, back up. I have friends all over the world, even in the Fire Nation," Aang started.

"No wonder Sokka doesn't trust you," I said.

"Not everyone was bad," Aang continued. "And I've never seen any war."

This was when something hit Katara. "Aang, how long were you in that iceberg?" she asked.

"I don't know...a few days, maybe?" he suggested.

"I think it's more like a hundred years!" I reasoned. "That's the reason you think there's no war going on!"

Aang dropped down, lowering his head in complete shock. " _What_?!" he asked in disbelief. "That's impossible! Do I look like a 112 year old to you?"

"Nope!" I answered, honestly.

"Kyra's right though," Katara mused. "Think about it! The war is a century old! You didn't know about it, because, somehow you were in there the whole time!"

"It's the only explanation," I patted Aang on the back.

I watched his face warp into an overwhelmed, depressed disposition. He knelt down and pressed his plans against his face.

"A hundred years?" Aang repeated, completely shocked. "I can't believe it."

I knelt down to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Sorry Aang, but maybe there's a bright side to this?" I tried to cheer him up.

"Well, I did get to meet you!" he smiled at Katara before turning to me. "Kyra, you're the first friend I had in a long time!"

I loved seeing my sister smile for once. She was always so serious and motherly, but this was one of the few days where I saw her act like an actual _sister._ This was a nice, heartfelt moment, but she had to ruin it.

Katara stood up from her kneeling position, shivering. "Come on, let's get out of here."

We spent a few more minutes on the ancient ship. The more we explored it, I realized that this wasn't really such a scary place at all. Sure, the sticky spider webs and the crawling insects made you shiver, but it didn't take me long to get used to it. On the other hand, Katara seemed to be getting worried.

"Let's head back," my sister winced. "This place is creepy."

"When you get used to it, it's not so bad," I shrugged.

"Yeah..." she muttered.

Aang led us through a dimly lit corridor, blending in all of the objects into one color. I stood my ground and slowly walked, but I halted to the sound of a gate dropping itself. My heart beat increased as I saw that the door was blocked! I frantically looked around the room, my ears ringing to the sound of machinery.

"What's that you said about booby traps?" Aang asked, nervously.

"That there were plenty of them in this ship?" I said, matter of factly. "That apparently still work."

As steam was pouring from the gadgets, I jumped back as a loud boom startled me. I saw an orange flare followed by a stream of smoke! My gulp got stuck in my throat as I panicked.

"Uh oh," Aang said.

"Yep," I agreed.

I looked up at the ceiling, noticing a bright light pouring from it.

"The ceiling!" I pointed.

Aang curled his hands into a ball to give me a lift. With one mighty jump, I reached into the daylight.

"Need help?" he asked, already carrying Katara with his hands.

I looked around the snow, imagining myself making a snowboard out of ice. _Hmmmm,_ I thought, _maybe I could use the snow to make a sled._

"Nope," I shook my head. "I got this."

With a lot of struggling and concentration, I shifted my hands together around the snow. Instead, cold ice numbed the outside of my shoes. That was still going to be useful; I jumped into the air, letting my ice shoes act as a sled. I felt the cool air circle around my body as I sled across the snow-covered rocks.

That was it. We were in big trouble; all thanks to the boy we found in an iceberg.

A/N: I hope you liked the next chapter! I'll make sure that Kyra has a part in the story and that she doesn't end up as an OC who doesn't affect the story whatsoever. Thank you to everyone who commented so far! This truly means a lot to me, just as this show does. Thank you to everyone who sticks through with Kyra until the very end!


	4. The Avatar Returns

The three of us arrived as the sun was painting the sky a warming, bright orange color. This made the flare and it's tail very visible. As we approached the village, I was scared of what their reactions would be. I wasn't just scared for myself, but for Aang too.

When Katara and I arrived, all of the children ran over to Aang with smiles on their faces. We were greeted with a chorus of "yay, Aang's back!" Sure, _they_ were happy, but with the glare glued on Sokka's face and the adults looking at the sky in horror, I was able to see that there were mixed feelings of his return.

Speaking of brothers, mine ran over to us with wrinkles near his eyebrows. He was definitely furious.

"I knew it!" Sokka accused, abruptly. "You signaled the Fire Navy with that flare!"

"It was an _accident_ , Sokka," I pointed out.

"I'm not taking 'accidents', Kyra!" he scolded, turning his attention to Aang. "You're leading them straight to us aren't you?"

Katara stepped forward. "He didn't mean for this to happen."

"Yeah. We were on the ship, and then there was this booby trap, and, well..." he stuttered through the words, turning red as he scratched his neck, "we "boobied" right into it."

"See? It was a tiny mistake!" I tried to defend him.

"That ended with a big flare that could signal the Fire Navy?" Sokka objected. "Yeah, like that's a 'mistake.'"

Gran Gran shook her head disappointingly, as if she couldn't even look at us. "You two shouldn't have gone on that ship," I stiffened as she eyed Katara and I. "Now we could all be in danger!"

My face heated up because I hated being questioned right on the spot. The entire village was looking at us, completely disappointed. A rule was made that we were to never go near that ship again as it was dangerous. It was also a reminder of what war and destruction could result in. However, that law was broken and we were now in deep trouble.

"Don't blame Kyra and Katara," Aang apologized to defend us. "I brought them there. It's my fault."

Sokka was probably happy that he found an excuse to be mad at Aang. I mean, he didn't trust him before, so why would he now? "Aha! The traitor confesses!" Sokka declared, putting a protective arm around the group of little boys. "Warriors, away from the enemy!"

"Warriors, really?" I scoffed.

"I don't have time for this, Kyra!" he claimed. "The foreigner is banished from our village!"

Why was Sokka so stubborn? Couldn't he think through his thick skull and really listen? The younger kids must've been just as upset as Katara and I! I watched my sister as she curled her hand into a fist, putting one foot forward.

"Sokka! You're making a mistake!" Katara argued.

"No!" Sokka said. "I'm keeping my promise to Dad! I'm protecting you two from threats like him!"

"What threat?" I countered. "Aang did nothing more than bring smiles on our faces in times of despair. He's a good friend."

I emphasized on the word "friend" for Sokka to get the message.

"Don't you see? Aang is not our enemy! He brought us something we didn't have in a long time. Fun," Katara declared.

Sokka was completely exasperated. "Fun?! We can't fight Firebenders with fun!"

"And you, definitely need some from what I'm seeing," I sassed.

Aang smiled, "You should try it sometime!"

"Get out of our village!" Sokka demanded. " _Now_!"

I sighed heavily, knowing that there was no use in arguing anymore. Sokka was stubborn and he always meant something until someone proved him wrong. Katara didn't give up too quickly though; she was the one who even wanted to prove that girls were able to "hunt" (fish) as well as boys could. Knowing my sister, she was going to do whatever it took to get through our brother's stick skull.

"Please, Grandmother," Katara begged. "Don't let Sokka do this!"

"You two knew that going on that ship was forbidden," Gran Gran said. "Sokka is right. I think it's best if the Airbender leaves."

I lowered my head so no one would see my watery eyes. It was just no use. They weren't going to change their minds any time soon. I scratched my eyes as they slowly built on salty tears.

I watched Katara swing her fist into the air. "Fine! Then I'm banished too!" she declared, dragging Aang's arm. "Come on Aang, let's go." Before she even made one step, she turned to me. "Are you coming Kyra?"

Her blue eyes glared into mine. I knew she wasn't mad at me; she just wanted to make a point. I looked back at Sokka, and he looked at me exactly like Katara did. Even if I was going to learn how to Waterbend if I went with them, I couldn't live with out Sokka. Katara knew that too, but it was going to take her some time to realize that. I needed to set the example.

"You always said that family comes first," I told her. "I know that I have to stay here. I'm sorry, Katara."

With my head staring at the snow, I kicked it a few times as I head over to Sokka and Gran Gran.

"Let's hope your sister comes to her senses," Sokka mumbled to me.

Katara looked at me, completely shocked at my choice. Yes, I _did_ tease Sokka, but it was only because I loved him. I didn't want them to know that just yet.

"I thought I knew you, Kyra," Katara said, bitterly. "Let's go, Aang."

Just as the two turned her back on us, Sokka furred his eyebrows at her. "Where do you think you're going?" he demanded.

"To find a Waterbender!" Katara declared. "Aang is taking me to the North Pole!"

"Katara!" Sokka bellowed, trying to reason with her. "Would you really chose him over your tribe? Your own _family_?"

"I don't want to come in between you and your family," Aang said.

Finally, it looked as if she was realizing something. There was no reason to be happy, though. Katara looked at Aang with droopy eyes as I tried to fight back the tears in mine.

"So you're leaving the South Pole?" Katara asked, gently. "Is this goodbye?"

I slowly walked up to them as Aang spoke. "Thanks for penguin sledding with me!"

"Aang..." I started, not knowing what to say. Instead, I pulled him into a warm hug. I was going to miss him; I was worried about how he'll react when he'd find out that the Airbenders were gone.

"You're a really good friend, Kyra," he told me. "In fact, the only one in a pretty long time."

"Where will you go?" Katara continued.

"Guess I'll go back to the Airbenders," Aang shrugged, placing a hand on Appa. "Wow, I haven't cleaned my room in a hundred years. Not looking forward to that," he jumped onto the bison's back. "It was nice meeting everybody!"

"Let's see your bison fly now, _airboy_ ," Sokka sneered.

I looked over at Aang hopefully, to see if he could prove Sokka wrong. He flicked the bison's reigns once. "Come on Appa, you could do it!" Aang said some command as he tried to get Appa into the air. It was no use, as the bison's legs were still firmly on the ground.

"Yeah, I thought so!" Sokka boasted.

Nami was probably the only little girl who was just as upset as I was. She cried and ran to Aang with tears in her eyes. "Aang, don't go! I'll miss you!"

"I'll miss you too," he replied sincerely, before turning to Appa. "Come on, boy."

"Me too, Nami," I told her as she held my arm and nearly yanked my sleeve in protest. I winced at the sharpness of her nails. "Me too."

Aang flashed a warm smile at me as I tried to return it, ignoring the teardrop running down my cheek. He turned to stare at the both of us longingly, before his vision got smaller and smaller as he disappeared into the sunset. Katara clutched onto my other arm, not wanting to let go.

That was it. Things were back to normal now, though I still wanted Aang here.

Gran Gran approached us, as Nami reluctantly followed the others with her head looking down at the snow. I didn't want to leave. Memories of penguin sledding flooded my mind. I just felt guilty each time.

"You will feel better after you-" Gran Gran started.

"You're happy now?!" Katara outbursted, rage and frustration clearly shown in her voice. I stared at her with shock; she _never_ answered back to Gran Gran! "There goes my one chance of becoming a Waterbender!"

"Katara-" I tried to calm her down, but I was interrupted.

"You know, if you weren't so irresponsible, Aang wouldn't have set that flare and he wouldn't have been banished. How could you be so selfish and not think this through?" she questioned.

It really irked me when she questioned me; it made me feel like Sokka when he disagreed with her. Yep, I was irritated.

"Maybe I didn't think this through," I suggested, thinking deeply. She wouldn't have been so defensive if she was so obsessed with finding a Waterbending teacher. "But this isn't just about Aang, is it? You were going to leave us and go to the North Pole with Aang!"

Katara stared at me as if I was being stubborn. "I-I don't know, Kyra. Don't jump into conclusions," she scolded me.

"You _were_ going to leave," I interrogated.

"You know Sokka didn't trust Aang," she argued. "You didn't think of the consequences."

" _Aang_ didn't think of the consequences," I fixed.

She glared at me, scowling slightly with her teeth. "Try to act your own age, Kyra."

"I'm twelve!" I moaned, turning around to run in the opposite direction. Katara stormed off, forcefully swaying her arms back and forth as she paced. I saw Gran Gran shaking her head from the corner of my eye, a frown stitched on her face. I didn't like fighting with Katara, but sometimes it was inevitable.

I walked near our shores, where the ocean barely touched the snow. Hearing the soft waves reminded me that tides were stronger at night, as the powers of the Waterbenders. The quiet whisper of the wind helped me think about what just happened. Katara was right; I was being irresponsible. Instead of listening to her, I encouraged Aang and that was how we got into this mess.

The moist, foggy horizon made it difficult to see. Was the Fire Navy really going to strike? We avoided any contact with them for years. No one would want to travel along our sea unless it was convenient for them. If they weren't used to the cold, they wouldn't survive. Sometimes I thought I was lucky to grow up in the freezing temperatures, but to see the world would be a great adventure.

That was when I thought of Aang again. Yes, if I were to go with him it would've been an opportunity to go to the North Pole. However, I couldn't leave my family. I had to admit that I wasn't ready to leave anyone behind. _Katara should've understood that too..._

My thoughts were cut off as I squinted my eyes to get a better look from the distance. There was a small, black figure with smoke trailing behind it. It might have been small, but who knew the size of it once it got on land?

With my heart pounding, I turned back and ran to the village. It _had_ to be the Fire Nation! Whoever was controlling the ship must've saw the flare! I was going to warn Sokka that they were coming to us.

I breathed heavily through my mouth as I made it back to the center of the village. I knew Sokka. He was getting ready for battle. No matter how much I hated him sometimes, I couldn't help but feel this huge lump in my throat. I was worried for him.

He stood in front of the village entrance, his club raised and ready to attack. Sokka was dressed in his battle armor. The corner of his eyes were covered with black paint, and his forehead was covered in grey, with just the tip in black. It was the traditional Southern Water Tribe battle armor.

"Sokka," I breathed. "They're arriving!"

"Don't you think I know that, Kyra?" he said, matter of factly.

I scoffed at his attitude. "What are you going to do?"

He peaked at the nearing ship. "I'm going to show know fear."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," I told him in a sing song voice. Tension build up inside me as the ship drawed near.

"Sokka, don't say I didn't warn you..." I repeated, my tone getting quieter as another crack was heard. Villagers rose to their feet, and Gran Gran stood up to gasp for air.. Another crack, and my Grandmother gasped louder, her face contorted in horror. I looked back at Sokka, who was apparently doing something stupid. He _still_ held his ground.

One of the mothers grabbed a child and slowly backed away in fright. Another crack! This one caused the watchtower Sokka built to shake under the pressure of the trembling ground, collapsing as a result. I winced at the damage.

"Oh maaaan," Sokka groaned.

I tried to pull Sokka out of there, but he kept pushing me back. I held onto his shoulders tightly, even climbing on him to make him leave.

"Sokka don't do this!" I cried, tugging onto his shoulder.

"Get off me Kyra!" he answered back, shooing me away.

Sokka finally was able to push me off his back, making me land back-first on the snow. I grunted, but still stood by him. Not to protect him, he thought he didn't need me. I layed there and stared at the frightening site in front of me: the Fire Navy ship. It was everything you'd expect-big, tall, and it made you feel this chill down your back.

"Oh maaaan..." Sokka trailed off, horrified.

"No way," I whispered, still staring in awe. The ship created a large crack as it passed through the ice. My body froze in complete horror at the image in front of me.

"Sokka! Kyra! Get out of the way!" Katara shouted. I didn't listen, because I was still mesmerized by the ruthless Fire Navy ship in front of me. So tall, so bold, so...terrifying. I wanted to run, but I fell on the snow before I even got the chance. Sokka fully shielded me with his body. As he protected my view, I ran back to Katara and Gran Gran. My sister held onto me tightly while I hugged her. She always held onto me when she was scared and it gave me a feeling of comfort.

I continued watching as Sokka still stood at that wall, the bow of the ship plowing through the snow. Sokka raised his weapon in defense, ready to strike at the enemy. However, before he would be able to make a move, the bow of the ship caused part of ice to crack open. The snow slid downward, pushing my brother back a few feet and making him trip over. With a loud hiss of steam, the ship announced that it was settled.

Steam from the ship's engine, as well as the fog made it hard to see the inside of the ship. But I didn't have to look any further because three men were standing front of me. One was wearing a Fire Nation insignia as a helmet, with the two other guards behind him. The boy had a lean face; he was a teenager. His hair was tied back into a high ponytail, a tradition of the Fire Nation. The villagers, Gran Gran, Katara, and I all huddled together as we were about to witness one of the biggest disappointments in history.

The teen scanened our faces. I tensed as he glared at me with his golden eyes. They were bright like fire, and it's flames are wild and destructive. I knew that all too well. I noticed that the scar on his face gave him a more frightening look. My eyes were focused on the red mark as he glared at us menacingly.

"Where are you hiding him?" Ponytail demanded. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Who was he talking about? We stood still as he looked at us, our faces pale with fear. Katara and I gasped as Ponytail-without warning-took my Grandmother by the arm and held her by the hood! What was he going to do with her?!

"He'd be about this age? Master of all four elements?" he continued, annoyed that we still didn't get who he was looking for. When he said "master of all four elements", I immediately knew who he was talking about.

"Do you mean the Avatar?" I asked.

Ponytail flared his nostrils as he looked into my eye. "The Avatar?" he mocked me. "Of course it's the Avatar! Who else can bend all four elements?" Katara glared at him as he shoved Gran Gran back into the crowd, embracing her with a protective hug.

I tensed as he flared his nostrils and-without a warning- swung his arm forward. A hot arc of heat was sent over my head. I cried in horror along with the rest of the village.

"I _know_ you're hiding him," Ponytail bellowed.

That was when Sokka tried to come to our rescue. I watched as my brother stood up again, the war paint washed due to the snow. He let out another furious battle cry as he charged towards the teen. Ponytail swiftly turned around, ducking Sokka's wide swing and kicked him again. Sokka landed on his butt, and to be honest I couldn't help but feel sorry for him as Ponytail shot another fire blast at him. Thinking that it was a smart idea, my brother threw his boomerang at the guy. Ponytail barely missed the shot, and watched as the weapon disappeared into the sky.

I couldn't watch anymore. If we were going to be in trouble because Sokka screwed up, I wasn't going to sit there and let anything else happen. Just as I thought, I felt my arm move towards the snow without thinking. Turning my wrist slowly while feeling my hand go numb, I was able to dissolve it into water.

"Don't," Katara whispered, calmly taking my hand. The tension inside of me released, and the warmth helped me breathe slower.

Tanuk, the village boy who constantly asked to pee, threw Sokka's spear. "Show no fear!" he encouraged him.

Sokka caught the weapon and charged at Ponytail once more. Before my brother was even able to strike at him, he grabbed his sword and poked him in the head with the end. Sokka helplessly fell to the ground. I winced as Ponytail snapped the spear in half and tossed the pieces away.

"This is embarrassing," I mumbled.

I noticed a bright light flashing in the distance. No, it wasn't a shooting star, it was Sokka's boomerang! He must've thrown it far, but it was to our advantage. The boomerang nearly knocked Ponytail's metal armor off! I smiled with satisfaction, but it only resulted in a stumble to my disappointment.

At that moment, I'd be angry that a boomerang hit me right in the face too. This caused Ponytail glare at Sokka, with two fire daggers shooting from his hand.

"Watch out, he's going to strike!" I warned him.

"Don't you think I know that?" Sokka panicked.

Before I was about to answer, I saw a penguin sledding down a slope. On top of it, was a bald, tattooed Airbender. Aang came to our rescue! I cheered along with the other kids as he swiftly swiped Ponytail off his feet. _Looks like he had a way with animals,_ I thought, as the penguin quacked at him menacingly.

"Hey Kyra!" he greeted cheerfully, before turning to my siblings. "Hey Katara, hey Sokka!"

"Hi, Aang," Sokka said, dully.

"Thanks for coming!" I told him cheerfully.

"I'd do anything for my friends," he said, gleefully.

"Great to know," Sokka muttered, rolling his eyes.

I just ignored him, as we were being attacked by an angry teen! Ponytail looked at Aang with furred eyebrows, wiping the last bits of snow on his face. He quickly got into a fighting stance, and Aang did the same with his staff.

"Looking for me?" Aang asked.

Ponytail widened his eyes with surprise. " _You're_ the Airbender? _You're_ the Avatar?"

My siblings and I were lost for words.

"What?" I mused.

"Aang?" Katara breathed.

" _No way,_ " Sokka murmured in awe.

The two began to circle each other, waiting for the other to strike. I couldn't peal my eyes off of Aang. We thought we just found an Airbender, not the Avatar!

"I've spent years preparing this encounter. Training, meditating," Ponytail said, menacingly. "You're just a child!"

"Well, you're just a teenager," Aang shrugged.

Ponytail cried with anger as he finally struck at him, sending a wave of fire balls from the tip of palm. He twirled his staff to cause the fire to blow away, nearly loosing balance at each strike. I huddled with the other villagers for protection, feeling the warmth of Katara's and Gran Gran's arms. I tried not to scream this time. Aang looked back at us with worry just as he deflected the last strike.

"If I go with you," he spoke, holding his staff as an offer. "Will you promise to leave the villagers alone?"

 _No, Aang!_ I wanted to protest, but I couldn't interrupt either. Without hesitation, Ponytail simply nodded his head. His men went over to Aang and pushed him forcefully by the shoulder, completely surrounded.

"No Aang! Don't do this!" Katara ran up to protest.

"Don't worry," Aang smiled slightly. "I'll be okay."

I watched the guards shove him into the ship, my eyes filled with tears. "Kyra, take care of Appa for me until I get back!" he called out. I tried to give him a small smile. If only I could've been as optimistic as he was; had no idea what they were going to do with him.

"Head course for the Fire Nation," he ordered. "I'm going home."

I didn't look away from the ship ever since they boarded Aang. I wasn't always hopeful, but I was going to hope that he would be all right. Knowing the Fire Nation, it was too hard to think positively.

The village quieted down, as we tried to avoid speaking of the event. We tried to repair the bits of damage the ship left behind. It was so quiet, that even the children didn't speak as they helped their mothers with the fire. The left overs of the attack still made me think about Aang, and how brave he was to stand up to Ponytail-whoever that guy was. All I knew, was that he must've been Fire Nation royalty.

I needed to do something about this. Did Sokka really want to keep this guilt inside him forever? Did he really want to live with the fact that he sent Aang to doom? I had to talk some sense into him.

I marched from the cleaning scene, not wanting to feel even more depressed. When I got just a little farther from the main site and near the snowy wilderness, I saw a canoe with a rolled up sleeping bag.

"Kyra! What are you doing here?" A voice spoke from behind-that happened to be Sokka's!

I stared at him with complete shock. "Where's Katara? Does she know about this?"

"She's a little down about Aang," he explained.

I turned to see her staring at the environment sorrowfully, not knowing what she was thinking.

"Yeah, I see that," I said in an obvious tone.

"I want to make it up to her," Sokka continued, "and you."

Before I let him finish, I gave him a tight hug. He groaned as I nearly squeezed him to death. Our little moment was kind of ruined when we heard a little rambling session.

"We have to go after that ship! Aang saved our tribe, now we have to save him," Katara thought out loud.

"Katara, I-" Sokka started.

"Why can't you realize that he's on our side?" she continued, ignoring Sokka. "If we don't help him no one will-"

"Katara-" I tried, but once again was cut off by her rambling.

"I know you don't like Aang, Sokka, but we owe him and-"

When I looked over at Sokka, I noticed a canoe next to him and smiled gleefully. I wondered how long it would take for Katara to get the hint.

"Katara!" Sokka interrupted her. "Are you gonna talk all day, or are you comin' with Kyra and I?"

He motioned his arm to the canoe that was now packed some necessary utensils that were needed for a huge trip like this. Katara immediately ran up to our brother and thrusted her arms around him, wrapping him into a tight hug.

"Sokka!" she cried with glee.

"Hey, stop the squeezing!" he was able to say. "Besides, Kyra was the one who convinced me to-"

Sokka didn't even need to finish his sentence. I was embraced into a tight, warm hug. It was as if the argument between Katara and I didn't even happen.

"Get in," Sokka said with a teasing smile. "We're going to save your boyfriend."

Katara made a fist. "He's not my-"

"Whatever," Sokka shrugged.

I wanted to follow along, being the annoying little sister and all. "Don't deny it," I teased. She glared at me, and I shrugged while putting on one of my innocent faces. Katara rolled her eyes as we almost got on the canoe. Our plan was pretty much set until...

"What do you three think you're doing?" a familiar voice accused, causing the three of us to stop in our tracks.

Gran Gran!

I gulped, thinking fast. "Saving an Airbender?" I said innocently, trying to make it seem like no big deal. I shrugged my shoulders to emphasize my point. We all tried to give her smiles to the best of our ability, which really weren't our best.

My body froze. What was she going to do? Call us out? I hoped not! I was going to save Aang whether she liked it or not.

"You'll need these," Gran Gran smiled warmly, handing us our sleeping bags. "You have a long journey ahead of you."

I felt a heavy sigh of relief fill my lungs. "Did that just happen?" I thought out loud, as Sokka, Katara, and I glanced at each other in shock. Gran Gran walked over to face Katara.

"It's been so long since I've had hope, but you brought it back to life, my little Waterbender."

She and Gran Gran embraced each other.

"Hello, other Waterbender over here!" I called out, waving my hands in the air.

Gran Gran smiled and chuckled at my reaction. "Oh, Kyra! How could I ever forget about you? Ever since you were little, you always looked for adventures. I'm sure that when the opportunity is presented to you, you'll become a great Waterbender like your sister. Just remember to listen your siblings."

I wasn't going to argue. I really did need to listen to Sokka and Katara (mostly Katara) if I wanted to survive on this journey.

"Thank you, Gran Gran," I said, hugging her tightly.

Then she turned Sokka. "And you, my brave warrior-"

"You mean, the warrior that got his butt kicked? Sokka?" I mocked, teasingly. He folded his arms in response, and I smiled with glee.

"Yes, that one," Gran Gran agreed, as Katara and I smirked to ourselves. Sokka grunted while grandmother continued. "Be nice to your sisters."

She bent over to Sokka and he hugged her, but his cheeks turning red. "Yeah, okay Gran."

"Aang is the Avatar. He's the world's only chance. You three found him for a reason. Now your destinies are intertwined with his," Gran Gran said. The three of us shared another uneasy glance, knowing that what we were about to do may cost us our lives.

"Well, like one wise sister said," I quoted. "Aang saved our tribe, now we have to save him."

"I couldn't have said it any other way," Katara teased, before turning serious. She pointed at our mini boat that was all ready and packed. "There's no way we're going to catch a warship with a canoe."

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Master Katara," I mocked, bowing with my hands folded together.

Just as I spoke, we heard a loud grunt noise coming from the hills. We turned to see a familiar bison with horns and an Airbending tattoo.

"Appa!" I cried, following Katara as she ran over to him.

Sokka reluctantly followed us. "You just _love_ putting me out of the comfort zone, don't you?"

"That's what sisters do," I replied.

Gran Gran helped us set up all of our luggage on the sky bison. Appa grunted as we put Sokka's heavy sleeping bag with on him. Katara helped me up, as she and Sokka climbed on Appa as well. I couldn't help but notice the droopy eyes and the frown on her face.

"I'll be thinking of you every day," Gran Gran told us. "May the Spirits guide you on your journey."

Appa grunted again, and he stood up uneasily. He plopped back down, but then forced his legs to stand up. He jumped onto the river, and we started floating to the ocean. The three of us turned towards Gran Gran, and I waved at her. She waved back, but the sad face on her remained. Shouldn't she have been proud of us? We were going to save the world! Well, I didn't know how long that would take.

Probably a very long time.

I sat next to Sokka on the very back of Appa's wooden saddle, staring at the clear sky. Katara watched Appa float across the ocean with dismay.

"How long will it take Appa to fly?" she mused.

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Do you still believe in that flying bison nonsense?"

"Maybe you can work some of her optimistic magic?" I suggested.

That seemed to give Katara an idea, as her eyes lit up. "I'm going to see if I could do something about it."

"Go. Have fun." Sokka said, dully.

I didn't know how many minutes passed by. Minutes felt like hours if it took this long to catch up to the ship. I was loosing patience. I couldn't wait to kick some Fire Nation butt.

"Please, Sokka! Is there anything you could do?" I begged.

He sighed heavily, before muttering something in a dry tone. "Go. Fly."

Katara glanced at Sokka, her eyes wrinkled. I knew she was mad at him, because she always gives him that stare.

"Soar!" he continued.

Katara layed her head near Appa's eye, as he growled again. "Please, Appa. We need your help," she pleaded. "Aang needs your help."

"Up," Sokka said blandly.

I decided to join him, maybe I could think of something. "Ascend?"

"Elevate," Sokka continued.

"Kyra wants to see you fly, so we could save Aang. Sokka doesn't believe you can fly, but I do, Appa," Katara said gently, while stroking the bison's mane. "Come on, don't you wanna save Aang?"

"What was it that kid said?" Sokka thought out loud. "Yee-haw? Hup-hup?"

That was when it hit us. My brother and I turned around to face each other. "Yip-yip?" we questioned in unison. It must have done some magic, because the next thing I knew Appa beat the water with his tail and kicked his legs. My heart soared as I felt the wind rush through my hair! I smiled with delight, watching the frozen landscape become smaller and smaller.

"You two did it!" Katara exclaimed.

"This is the most _amazing_ thing I ever experienced!" I gushed.

Sokka seemed to be the most ecstatic. "Katara, Kyra! He's flying! He's really-"

My sister ruined his moment by smiling smugly. Despite our differences, the two of us had a common goal: messing with our older brother.

"I mean, big deal. He's flying," Sokka quickly fixed himself, but he still smiled in delight. We soared through the sky for what seemed like a few seconds. With the wind picking up speed, who knew how fast we were going to make it to the ship?

The two of them seemed to rely on me for spotting things that were far in distance. Maybe it was because I spent the rest of the time looking down. So far, the only thing I saw was ocean.

"See it now?" Sokka asked.

"No, not really," I answered, squinting my eyes to get a better view.

After a moment of silence, Katara spoke up. "We probably haven't even reached it yet," she reasoned.

"What about now? See anything Kyra?" Sokka repeated.

I face palmed myself, before turning back to him. I was already on the edge of Appa for goodness sake, and I was wondering why he couldn't check for once. "Not yet, _Mom_ ," I snorted. But then I saw this black object floating across the ocean, steam rising from an engine. I looked closer, and noticed a battle on the edge of the ship. Fire was shot at the figure blocking, and I came to a conclusion.

We saw Aang, in the middle of a fight with Ponytail. Blasts of fire were sent his way, and we were nearing in. It was hard to see him in a bird's eye view, but I noticed him turning around. I gasped at how hard Aang was trying to keep balance long enough before he fell off the ship. _Was he going to fall? Come on, Aang! Don't fall!_ I nearly stopped breathing as his body fell into the cold icy water.

Did that really happen?

Was this the end of the Avatar?

No; I confirmed that it wouldn't be.

It was time for me to take action. I took off my shoes, and set my eyes into the ocean. Some sort of protective sibling telepathy must of hit, because Sokka grabbed my hand.

"Kyra, don't do this!" he warned me.

I brushed his hand off. "No, I have too." I concentrated on the water, and jumped right off of Appa. I was a Waterbender, so there was no need to be afraid. Like Aang said, _if you have to be a bender, you must let go of your fear._ His voice spoke in my mind, as I felt the gravity send me flying. It was very...nerv-wrecking. I made a big splash, and I hoped this wouldn't be the end of me. Kyra of the Southern Water Tribe.

A rush of icy cold water sent chills down my spine, numbing every part of my body. I honestly didn't want to think about how Sokka or Katara react, but I heard my sister's voice echo through the rippling water When I started swimming, I felt a body brush off mine. Aang! His eyes were closed, and he was sinking deeper and deeper. I grabbed him, but I got distracted by the thought of dying. Katara was probably on the edge of her seat by now. I slowly started to lift the Airbender, but something _extraordinary_ happened,

Aang's eyes started to glow a bright white, and so did the arrow on his head. He took my arm roughly, and put it on his shoulder. He steadied himself in he water and began to twirl them around. A waterspout was forming underneath him, and before we knew it, we skyrocketed above Ponytail's ship. The men looked at him with wide mouths, stunned just as I was at his strange glowing arrows and advanced-very advanced-Waterbending technique.

I landed on my stomach, holding myself up with my hands. I was still awestruck at the amount of power that Aang possessed. Something told me he was _much_ more powerful than he looked. An arc of water was formed around him, knocking the soldiers down with one wip. It was the most amazing thing I ever witnessed! Sokka and Katara must have thought the same thing as they landed on ship.

"Aang! Are you okay?" Katara asked, running over to him as he nearly fainted.

That was Sokka's cue to annoy me. "You are so grounded missy!" he accused, pointing at me with his finger. "You could have died in there! What were you thinking?" Then for some odd reason, he started hugging me. "Don't you ever do that again!"

I looked at him blankly as he cuddled me in his arms protectively.

Katara kneeled down and held onto Aang. "Hey, Katara. Hey, Sokka. Thanks for trying to save me, Kyra."

I nodded my head and smiled, "I'd do anything for my best friend."

His eyes widened as I said that.

"I dropped my staff," Aang managed to point at the stick. It was near the edge of the ship.

"I got it!" Sokka told him. He ran over, grabbed a hold of it, but something was bringing the weight down. I heard him poke the end of the stick, knocking it's victim back into the water.

"Ha!" Sokka said triumphantly. "That's from the Water Tribe!"

Appa stood on his four legs and lowered himself for Aang to climb on. Katara still stood near him, as five soldiers started getting up after their knockdown. They had menacing faces as they approached my sister. She slowly stepped back, and started bending a stream of water from the puddle.

"Come on Katara, bend the water already!" I urged her.

She swung her arms forward, but ended up creating a channel of water behind her-and caused my shoes to be caged in ice! I tried to move, but there was no use! I was stuck, and so was Sokka.

"Katara!" Sokka and I complained.

The soldiers were puzzled at Katara's attempt of Waterbending, and resumed their approach. I thought they forgot to attack or something. But no! She closed her eyes tightly, swung her arms behind her and encased three of the soldiers in ice. Yes! She did it!

"Way to go Katara!" I congratulated her.

However, when Katara looked back at Sokka-who was still apparently knocking out the ice on his shoes, two new guards started approaching. I froze in fear, wondering what to do.

"Seriously, how many of those guys run this ship?" I complained.

"Come on, Kyra! Hurry up!" Sokka urged.

"I can't move!" I answered.

"You're a Waterbender, right?" he continued.

"Yeah, so?"

"WATERBEND ALREADY!"

I channeled my will to punch him to my hands, and knocked out the two soldiers with some sort of mini wave and punch. It was a combination of the two, technically. I smiled at my newly found strength in appreciation. Until I heard another sound:

"Kyra!" Sokka whined again. I looked up, and noticed Sokka's feet were once again covered in ice. He started to break it off with his boomerang, quickly running to my rescue after freeing himself.

"I'm just a guy with a boomerang," he muttered to himself. "I didn't ask for all this flying and magic..."

The two of us quickly jumped on Appa, and he patted the bison's head. "Yip yip, yip yip!"

Before I knew it, we were once again in the sky. I sort of got use to the feeling already, but then as we were nearing bird's eye view, I saw a ray of fire approach us.

Panicking as it came closer, I shouted, "Aang!", as he leaped onto the saddle. He opened the small tail wing of his staff and swung his glider around, using a powerful swipe of air to redirect the ray of fire. The impact caused an avalanche of snow and ice to fall! Ponytail's ship was getting covered in snow, and we got away just in time! I never had a greater feeling of being lucky of finding out that I'm still alive.

Aang and I waved at the crew in pride, teasing them. The four of us shared a laugh, and I knew we'd be laughing a lot more throughout our journey.

"Who _was_ that guy?" Sokka asked, folding his arms and laying his back on the saddle.

"I don't know," I answered. "Though I have a feeling we'll find out soon enough."

"They are probably going to track us down," Sokka agreed. "I hope you two are lucky that you got me into this mess!"

Katara and I smirked to ourselves, until she change the subject. "How did you do that?" she asked, bewildered.

"Do what?" Aang asked.

"With the water! It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"

Aang moved to the edge of the saddle. "I don't know. I just sort of...did."

"But how come you don't know?" I asked. "Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?"

"Because..." he started, turning away slightly. "I never wanted to be."

"But Aang, the world's been waiting for the Avatar to return and finally put an end to this war," Katara said.

"And how am I going to do that?" he piped up.

"Well...according to the legend, you need to first master water, then, earth, then fire, right?" I mused.

"That's what the monks told me," he answered, his eyes getting brighter.

"Well, if we go to the North Pole, you can master water!" I suggested.

"We can learn it together!" Aang said, mostly to Katara before turning to me. "The three of us."

"It would be so cool to learn from a real master," I said, dreamily.

"And Sokka, maybe you can kick some Firebender heads on the way," Katara suggested. That made our brother smile to himself.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Sokka said, contently. "I'd really like that."

"Then we're in this together!" Katara declared.

Aang stood up, and pulled out a rolled up scroll. "All right, but before I learn Waterbending, we have some serious business to attend to," he told us. Aang used his Airbending to open the scroll, revealing a map of the hole globe. "Here, here, and here," he pointed to some places on the map.

"What's there?" Katara asked, pointing at one of the spots Aang showed us.

He pointed to a spot on the Earth Kingdom. "Here, we'll ride the hopping llamas," he said, and that made Sokka and I share a look. "Then way over here, well surf on the backs of giant koi fish."

"I'm realizing how much I don't know about the world," I said.

"Then we'll ride the hog monkeys. They don't like people riding them, but that's what makes it fun!"

"Are you sure we'll have fun trying to ride on monkeys that don't want people to ride them?" I questioned him, nervously.

"It's all part of the adventure," he smiled.

I tried to give him a warm smile.

All of these places sounded like fun, but I couldn't think about the fact that I was friends with the Avatar. Me; Kyra. My siblings and I were destined to help the Avatar! Could you imagine that? The most powerful being in the universe was in the body of a twelve year old-technically 112 year old, boy named Aang. Even though his skills are great, he still had lots to learn.

All my life I needed reasons to give up hope, but this time I'll try to hope that-someday-

Aang _will_ save the world.

I hope you don't think Kyra is just the bratty, annoying sibling. Don't worry, she will change as the series continues. What type of character do you think she is?


	5. The Southern Air Temple

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar The Last Airbender. Enough said.

I woke to my eyes stinging from the glow of the morning sun. Our first trip with Aang was bright and early, because we were going to see his Air Temple. Aang wanted to check up on the place after a hundred years, and I couldn't help but feel guilty the entire time. He was going to find out that the Fire Nation wiped out all the Airbenders. I knew it was going to be hard for him.

We camped out on the shore of an island last night. I heard the soft sound of water creeping onto the bare edge of the island, immediately reminding me of home. It was either that, or Appa's rather loud chewing.

"Wait till you see it, Katara!" Aang eagerly told my sister. "The Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world!"

"Are you sure it's still beautiful a hundred years later?" I inquired.

I received a glare from Katara. Of course, she was the expert in this situation. While Sokka and I were a bit more blunt, she tried to be gentle and calming. I pursed my lips as I packed the rest of my stuff into my bag.

"Aang, I know you're excited," Katara said, cautiously. "But Kyra's right. it's been a hundred years since you've been home."

"That's why I'm so excited!" Aang exclaimed.

"It's just that... a lot of things could change in all that time," she co ntinued.

"Like the Fire Nation starting a hundred year war and causing total chaos around the world," I told her.

Katara looked at me nervously, her face turning slightly pale. "Yes, like that."

"I know, but I need to see it for myself," Aang said, rather cheerful for my liking.

I handed Aang my rolled up sleeping bag, and he floated gently onto Appa. That was when I heard very loud, heavy snore. Who wouldn't want to sleep in on this day more than Sokka?

"Wake up, Sokka!" Aang told him. "Air temple here we come!"

Sokka grunted, his eyes still closed. He stuffed to the other side with frustration. "Sleep now, Temple later."

Whenever Sokka would sleep in this late, I always tried to mess with him by interrupting somehow. I whispered to Aang on how to wake him up, and a mischievous smile grew on his face. He grabbed a wooden stick. The next thing I knew?

"Sokka, wake up!" he said frantically, while moving the stick up and down to gently tickle him. "There's a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!"

Katara and I couldn't contain my laughter when Sokka fell for it! He squirmed and forced himself up, jumping and scratching the edge of his sleeping bag. "Aah! Aah! Get it off, get it off!" Eventually, he lost his balance and fell to his side.

"Great! You're awake, let's go!" Aang said, happily.

As the four of us hopped on Appa, Sokka looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "There really was no prickle snake, wasn't there?" he asked, dully.

I shook my head, giggling as he grunted to himself. I leaned my back against the saddle, preparing myself for a long day ahead.

We flew on Appa for a few hours, and I started to feel my stomach cringe on the inside. I couldn't ignore the growling sounds. This was when I remembered the flames of the campfire, and how much it reminded me of home. I probably shouldn't have let Aang to start the fire with blubbered seal jerky...

"Hey! Who ate all the blubbered seal jerky?" Sokka asked, accusingly.

"Oh, that was food?" Aang asked. "Kyra told me I could use it to start the camp fire last night. Sorry."

As much as he did sound apologetic, I was the one who should've been apologizing. "Sorry, Sokka," I said, quietly. I lowered my head with guilt.

"You _WHAT_?!" he exclaimed, before moaning. "Awe, no wonder they smelled so good."

When I leaned against the saddle, I noticed that we were flying towards a mountain peak. Aang's eyes lit up. "The Batola Mountain Rang! We're almost there!"

Katara approached him as he said this, with a concerned look on her face. "Aang, before we go to the Temple, I want to talk to you about the Airbenders."

"What about them?" he asked, cheerfully.

"I just want you to be prepared for what you might see. The Fire Nation is ruthless," she started, carefully. "They killed my Mother, and they could've done the same to your people."

From that comment I'm sure she forgot that the word "our" existed. She was _my_ Mother too-and Sokka's.

"Just because no one's seen an Airbender, doesn't mean that the Fire Nation killed them all. They probably escaped."

"Actually, it kind of does," I mumbled, but it was loud enough for Katara to hear. She turned around and looked at me with a stern glare. To avoid trouble, I shifted my gaze at the sky.

"I know it's hard to accept-"

"You don't understand, Katara! The only way to get to the Air Temple is on a flying bison, and I doubt the Fire Nation have any bison. Right, boy?" he turned to Appa for confirmation. The bison gave a grunt in response.

"There are other ways..." I said, nervously.

"That kid is in some serious denial," Sokka told me.

I nodded to him in response. "Even if he might be, he's my best friend. Aang deserves to know the truth and not be lied to."

I looked over at Aang with a raised eyebrow, as he stared at the open sky with great anticipation. If he was really looking forward to this trip, might as well be supportive. Well, as long as it lasts.

When I squinted my eyes, I saw figures of pointy rock formations ahead. They grew bigger as we flew nearer.

"The Batola Mountain Range!" Aang cried. "We're almost there!"

I couldn't wait to visit the temple! I was going to be able to learn about the vast culture of the Air Nomads. In our quiet little village, the only way I was able to learn was from Gran Gran's stories. Sure, stories were okay, but to be able to visit a place would be exciting.

We flew over the mountains, cool wind blasting in our faces. I held onto the saddle as we picked up speed. At last, I saw a tall structure peaking boldy towards the sky! The Air Temple looked so beautiful with it's blue and white patterned towers.

"There it is! The Southern Air Temple!"

"Aang, it's amazing!" Katara exclaimed.

As we flew closer, I spotted weeds curled against broken bits of weathered rock. They looked like scars from a battle. The quiet atmosphere sent chills down my spine.

"For a temple attacked by the Fire Nation," I gulped. "Pretty impressive."

"We're home buddy, we're home," Aang told Appa. I couldn't help but take in a deep gulp; who knew how he was going to react when he found out...

We landed on the bottom of a trail that lead to the center of the entrance. Aang leaped all the way in front of us. Since my siblings and I didn't have powers that could help us get around with ease, we had to walk all the way. I stood in between Sokka and Katara as we started to catch up with our friend.

"So where do I get something to eat?" he asked, miserably clenching his stomach with his hand.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that," I told him, causing him to glare in response.

Katara was irritated with him. "You're lucky enough to be one of the first outsiders to ever visit an Airbender temple, and all you can think about is food?"

"I'm just a simple guy with simple needs," Sokka sighed.

"Sure, simple's the way to put it," I teased.

"Hey! Food _is_ simple!" he defended himself.

"Sure it is," I continued, a smile stretching on my face.

"Kyra, give it a rest," Katara scolded me in a calm tone. I was glad that she could tolerate us when we argued.

"Yeah, Kyra, give it a rest," Sokka repeated, a smug smile forming as I slouched in defeat.

Aang stopped and stared at the area in front of us. As it was new to us, everything was familiar to him. Maybe it wasn't denial, and he really didn't know about the war? I wanted to be there for him when he found out about the Fire Nation and what they did.

He pointed at an area filled with wooden poles sticking out of the ground with big circles on both ends. "That's where my friends and I would play air ball," he told us, eagerly. He pointed to a flat rock. "And that's where the bison would sleep, and..."

"What's wrong?" Katara asked.

Aang lowered his head in dismay. "This place used to be full of monks and lemurs and bison... now there's just a bunch of weeds... I can't believe how much has changed."

Sokka, Katara, and I eyed each other as he said this. The three of us quickly caught up to Aang so we could distract him. Maybe this wasn't the right time to tell him.

"So this Airball game," Sokka said, suggestively. "How do you play?"

I was glad he asked that. Sokka stood on a wooden pole to my right, and Aang was on the opposite side. Katara and I I watched in anticipation as Aang was going to strike. He played with the ball a bit before releasing it into the air. He waited a few seconds for it to come back down, and blasted it with an Airbending kick. The ball bounced from some polls and went straight to Sokka, causing him to fly backward and knock himself into the goal!

"Aang seven, Sokka zero!" Aang announced, laughing.

I approached Sokka as he struggled to get himself up, trying to stand on both legs. "Had a rough landing?"

"You think?" he mumbled. "Making him feel better is putting me in a world of hurt."

Sokka brushed the snow out of his face. As he turned around, he seemed to notice something that got his attention. His eyes widened with alert.

"Guys, check this out," he whispered.

Katara and I turned to see a frightening image. It was definitely a Fire Soldier's helmet. The metal looked so battered. Cracks and burns decorated the helmet. As it was getting old, the metal must have gotten weaker. None of that mattered, because they were really there. I was staring at the remains of an attack.

"Fire Nation," Katara muttered.

"We should tell him," Sokka suggested.

"Better now than never," I agreed.

"Aang, there's something you need to see!" Katara called out to him.

He ran over to us with a bright smile, as he tossed around the Airball. Was Katara going to do it? Was she going to tell him? I looked over at her anxiously, as she looked back with a worried look.

The next thing I knew? My head was covered with snow, thanks to Katara's bending. Sokka didn't seem to have any luck either; he stumbled right down as a huge pile fell over him.

"What is it?" Aang asked.

I started to help Sokka up as Katara tried to think of a response. He roughly brushed the snow off his body.

"Uh..." she hesitated, before looking at me brightly. "Just a new Waterbending move Kyra taut me!"

I blinked a few times as she said my name. "I did?" My face turn slightly pink as I quickly brushed the snow off of my head. I straightened my shoulders and tried to act more confident as I just realized what Katara told him. I _taught_ her a move, something I would imagine her doing to me.

"I mean, I did!" I said, assertively.

"Nice one! But enough practicing, we have a whole temple to see!"

Aang leaped ahead with his Airbending. Katara followed him while Sokka and I tagged along. Something about this temple sent chills down my spine and I didn't like it. That was why I wanted to tell him, but of course I had to "teach" my sister a bending trick.

We followed Aang through a courtyard that followed the same design of the temple. Snow covered the steps, but it wasn't as heavy as it was back home.

"Katara, Firebenders were here," Sokka told our sister. "You can't pretend they weren't."

"I can for Aang's sake," she countered. "If he finds out that the Fire Nation destroyed his home, he'll be devastated."

"He's going to find out eventually," I reminded them. "It's better if we tell him truth. Would you rather him find out on his own, or from his friends?"

Sokka and Katara gave each other an uneasy look when I spoke. The worry on our faces increased when we caught up with Aang.

"Hey guys!" he called over to us. "I want you to meet somebody!"

He stood in front of a statute of a Monk. It was in a meditating pose and was wearing traditional Air Nomad clothing with a carved necklace. With the wrinkles carved on the face, the man must've been pretty old.

"Who is that guy?" Sokka asked.

"Is he your Grandpa?" I followed.

Sokka looked at me with a raised eyebrow, as if I did something wrong. "What? It could be convenient," I shrugged.

"He's not my Grandpa, but he was old enough to be!" Aang told us. "This is Monk Gyatso! The greatest Airbender in the world!" He turned to the statue of the Monk and bowed to him, a sign of respect. That must've been Gyatso. "He taught me everything I know."

Aang seemed to be in a trance, until Katara finally spoke. She put a hand on his shoulder. "You must miss him."

"Yeah," he mumbled, lowering his head. It seemed like Aang knew where he was going as he slowly walked forwards. He had a determined look on his face as he walked up a few stairs.

"Where are you going?" Katara asked.

"The Air Temple Sanctuary. There's someone I'm ready to meet," Aang answered.

"Right..." I said hesitantly. This someone of his couldn't have possibly survived the last hundred years. Katara and I raised an eyebrow at Sokka. He shrugged and simply followed along.

How long were we going to keep this up?

Aang lead us through the corridor. As we approached it, we soon came face to face with the Sanctuary door. The center of the wooden door was dominated by an Air Nation symbol created from three twisted pipes. The design was convincing, but there was no way someone could've survived in there.

Katara seemed to agree with me. "But Aang, no one could have survived in there for a hundred years."

"It's not impossible," Aang countered. "I survived in the iceberg for that long."

"Good point," Katara agreed.

"I don't think anyone else has Avatar powers that can help them live that long," I told them, uneasily.

Katara's face turned pale as she realized this. "Another good point."

"But whoever's in there could help me figure out this Avatar thing!" Aang said.

"I think you're kind of missing the point-" I stuttered.

Sokka interrupted me, practically drooling at the door. I crossed my arms and shook my head. He was probably imagining a table full of food to satisfy his starving stomach. "And whoever's in there might have a medley of delicious, cured meats!"

Without hesitation, he charged at the door. There was no way he could have opened it. The pushing eventually caused him to sink to the floor.

"I don't suppose you have a key?" Sokka asked, gloomily.

"The key Sokka, is Airbending." Aang answered, taking in a deep breath. His nostrils flared as he marked his target by stretching out both hands to reach the wooden door. Two jets of air shot from his palm and creeped into the tubes. As the air traveled through the blue pipes were forced to flip over to the purple side. When the doors started to loosen, a voluminous dark hallway revealed itself.

Aang was the first to walk into the abyss, his voice echoing through the walls. "Hello? Anyone home?"

"It's so dark in there," I mused. Sokka, Katara, and I hesitantly followed him. It was so quiet that I was able to hear the sound of my heavy heartbeat.

It didn't take us a long time to reach the center of the Sanctuary. We were lead to an arena filled with statues. The carvings were pretty impressive, but of course my older brother was upset.

"Statues?! That's it?! Where's the meat?!" he complained.

"You just got into the sanctuary and all you could think about is meat?" I questioned.

"Pretty much," Sokka sighed.

"Who are all these people?" Katara asked.

Aang looked uncertain. "I'm not sure, but it feels like I know them somehow." He furred his eyebrows, and his eyes widened at a hint of recognition. "Look! That one's an Airbender!" he exclaimed, pointing at a statue with an arrow drawn on its forehead.

"That one's a Waterbender!" Katara pointed to one wearing an animal skin.

I looked closely at a statue with feminine features and an Earth Nation symbol. "That one's an Earthbender!" I observed the statues and how they all lined up in a similar pattern. "They're all lined up in a pattern! Water, Earth, Fire, Air!"

"That's the Avatar Cycle," Aang agreed.

"Of course! They're Avatars!" I realized. "You think you know them because they're your past lives!"

"Wow! They're so many!" Aang's eyes widened in awe.

"Past lives?" Sokka asked. "You really believe in that stuff?"

"It's true!" I explained. "According to Gran Gran, when the Avatar dies he's reincarnated into the next nation of the cycle. Since Aang is currently an Airbender, he'll reincarnate into a Waterbender when he dies."

As I spoke, Aang seemed to be in a trance. He was staring at this statue of a Avatar without blinking at all. The statue was the last one from thousands of others. My head almost got dizzy as I stared at the top of the ceiling.

"Aang, snap out of it!" Katara cried, causing him to blink out of his state. I was able to once again quickly focus my attention on them.

"Who is that?" I asked, pointing at the statue.

"That's Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me," Aang told me.

"That name is definitely Fire Nation," I said with discomfort. I haven't met one single person from the Fire Nation who wasn't loyal to Sozin. It would've been nice to believe that there were some good people, but stigma from the War could get to you.

"You were a Firebender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met," Sokka said.

"I'm pretty sure you were just paranoid," I reasoned with him.

"Was not!"

"Was not!"

"Was t-" Sokka stopped himself from going any further, noticing what I did. "Hey!"

I smiled smugly at him while folding my arms. He sighed in defeat and looked at me blankly, trying to ignore Katara's agitated glare. She turned back to Aang, who was still looking at the statue longingly.

"There's no writing," Katara noticed. "How do you know his name?"

Aang shrugged. "I'm not sure... I just know it somehow."

"It's your connection to him," I told him. "All the Avatars are connected to each other."

"You just couldn't get any weirder," Sokka growled.

Before I was able to open my mouth, my heart beat grew louder as I heard the sudden sound of a soft sweeping against the floor. Footsteps. The four of us scrambled behind statues. Katara and Aang were on one side, while Sokka stood by with me on the other. One of his hands reached out to protect me as he clutched onto his club.

"Firebender, nobody make a sound!" Sokka whispered.

"You're making a sound," I retorted. I pursed my lips as they shushed me, rather abruptly.

"That Firebender won't know what hit em." Sokka raised his club into the air, ready to strike. As he was about to charge, he seemed to pause in his tracks. I turned around to check out what he was looking at. However, what I saw wasn't a Firebender. Nope; it was an adorable long eared critter with big eyes.

"Awe," I squealed at it before turning to Sokka. "Well, you caught your Firebender."

"Lemur!" Aang exclaimed.

"Dinner," Sokka moaned, drool dripping on the side of his cheek.

I glared at him, "I'm not letting you eat that creature for dinner."

"I want to see you try," he retorted, looking at the creature with hungry eyes.

"Don't listen to him, you're gonna be my new pet," Aang told the animal.

"Not if I get him first!" Sokka said.

"Don't you dare!" I warned him.

That was when the three of us played a little game of chase the lemur. I tripped over Sokka as Aang tried to speed up after it, but the lemur leaped away.

"Wait! Come back!" Aang called after it.

"I wanna eat you!" Sokka cried.

"I'm not letting that happen!" I said, chasing after the two of them.

We ran towards the hallway near the Sanctuary. Using the small puddles of water, I was able to bend a little board of ice that I could skate on. I controlled the freezing ice to keep it secure. When Sokka looked at me, his eyebrows furred with determination. He tried to make Aang trip with his club, but Aang swept it across and avoided getting hit. I stared at him wide eyed as he started running on the side of the wall! My eyes trailed after him, but I was pushed by this dense ball of air.

I tripped over Sokka, letting my elbow hit the ground roughly. The pain numbed it, but I still ran after my brother. The two of us ran over to the balcony when realization hit us. Aang was an Airbender. He could fly.

"Hey! No fair!" Sokka complained, before turning to me. He growled at me, but I couldn't help it. A satisfied smile spread across my face.

"To be fair, you wouldn't have gotten it anyway," I told him.

He frowned, "Yeah, you're right."

The two of us looked down. We towered over huge rocks, making it clear that taking the stairs was the best option. I panted as I followed Sokka. The stairs lead to a tattered looking tent. The walls surrounding it were weathered and pealing off. I looked over at Sokka, and he shrugged in response. I hoped that nothing suspicious was in there, but boy was I in for a surprise.

"Hey, Aang! You find my dinner yet?" Sokka asked.

As soon as I pulled back my curtain, I saw Aang down on his knees. I immediately noticed why; Monk Gyatso. There were piles of skeletons scattered all over, making the room smell rotten. The bits and pieces of Firbender Armer were left as a reminder-as Aang's reminder. I couldn't imagine loosing all the people I loved. I wasn't strong enough for that.

The expression on Sokka's face changed when he saw Aang's face cupped in his hands. "Aang, I wasn't really going to eat the lemur, okay? Kyra was trying to stop me anyway."

I made a gesture with my head, nudging at him to look at the skeleton. It was battered and had a necklace with an Air Nation symbol drawn. I placed a hand on Aang's left shoulder.

"Oh man," he lowered his tone.

"I have a bad feeling about this," I told him.

"Come on, Aang. Everything will be alright. Let's get out of here," Sokka continued.

I gasped as Aang's arrow suddenly started to glow. It was the same ghostly color I saw when he was in the Avatar State back when we faced Ponytail. I immediately pulled my hand off, as Sokka wrapped his arms around me protectively.

The wind started circling Aang, rapidly sending chills down my spine. I was so speechless at I couldn't even move. I shielded my face from the wind, trying to stand firmly on the ground.

"Come on, snap out of it!" Sokka pleaded.

"Please, Aang!" I cried over the howling wind.

However, our cries and pleas weren't a match for his intense state. The wind picked up even more speed that it sent us flying into the wall. I barely avoided getting smashed by an inch.

" _Aaaahhh!_ " Sokka shouted.

It was impossible to get a full glimpse of the explosion when I tossed towards the edge of a , my head spinning rapidly. I smacked my head into the wall, desperately trying to hold on next to Sokka. It was amazing how one air sphere was quickly able to turn into a tornado.

Katara approached us from behind, blocking the wind from her face. "What happened?"

"He found out Firebenders killed Gyatso!" Sokka said.

"I warned you that we should've told him earlier!" I told her.

"Oh no! It's his Avatar State!" Katara realized.

"You think?" I spat.

She looked at me with a glare, "He must have triggered it! I'm going to try and calm him down!"

I panicked as I felt my hand slipping from it's grip. The heavy material of my gloves didn't let me hold on to it easily.

"Sokka!" I wailed. My weight couldn't compete against the force of the wind. I sighed with relief as he quickly grabbed me, using his hand as a shield.

"Well, do it before he blows us off his mountain!" Sokka shouted.

Katara fought against the wind to reach out to Aang, who was levitating into the air. He looked scary, the way his eyes glowed luminously. It was always going to haunt me.

"Aang, I know you're upset!" she began, "And I know how hard it is to lose the people you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my Mom!"

"At least you didn't have an Avatar State!" I interrupted.

"Yes, I went through a state of grief," she continued. "Monk Gyatso and the other Airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family. Sokka, Kyra, and I. We're your family now."

The wind circling around us died down, allowing Sokka to let go of me. What Katara said really seemed to calm Aang down, but the furred eyebrows and glowing tattoos still remained. His emotionless face still horrified me.

"Katara, Kyra, and I aren't going to let anything happen to you," Sokka told him, "We promise."

"Yeah, you're apart of our family," I confirmed, "and families stick together."

Katara gently held Aang's hand. As soon as his hand touched hers, his arrows and eyes stopped glowing.

Aang sank into her arms, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, it wasn't your fault."

"But you're right. And if the Firebenders found this temple, that means they found the other ones too. I really am the last Airbender..." his voice was quiet and shaking.

I couldn't believe it. The cheerful boy we freed from the iceberg was now down on his knees, facing the harsh consequences of reality. I put my hand on Aang's shoulder for support, just as Sokka did. Katara hugged him tightly, pulling him next to her. I knew that we were always going to have each other's back.

We finished packing as the sun was setting. Sokka and I waited for Katara to finish setting up. Aang seemed to be occupied with the statues.

"Sorry you couldn't get any food, Sokka," I said.

Sokka stood up from his squatting pose, shrugging nonchalantly, "Hey, I think I could live without food for one day."

"Sure," I smirked. I tried to keep myself from giggling as Katara came over.

"Everything's packed. You ready to go?" she asked.

Aang snapped of his trance, "How is Roku supposed to help me if I can't talk to him?" he spoke in an agitated tone.

"Maybe you'll find a way," Katara shrugged.

"Yeah, like some super cool Avatar spirit powers!" I exclaimed.

From the corner of my eye, I spotted a familiar long-eared shadow. When I turned around, I saw the lemur standing on his two tiny feet. I raised my eyebrow at it. The lemur leaped over to the right-where Sokka was standing-and dropped a bunch of fruit near him. He immediately bent down and quickly bit into them.

"Not hungry, huh?" I teased.

"Looks like you made a new friend, Sokka," Aang said.

Sokka looked up, his cheeks stuffed with food. "Can't talk. Must eat."

It didn't take him that long to finish, being Sokka of course. We stood outside the temple, ready to leave. We were on our way to finding Aang, Katara, and I a Waterbending Master. Now we had another friend with us on our journey.

"You, me, and Appa, we're all that's left of this place," Aang said, before turning to us. "Kyra, Katara, Sokka, say hello to the newest member of our family!"

Katara smiled, "What are you going to name him?"

Before Sokka was about to take a bite of his peach, the lemur leaped from Aang's arm and took the peach from him. I couldn't help but smile as Sokka realized that his cupped hands held nothing but air.

"Momo," Aang answered, as the lemur started nibbling on his piece of fruit.

"That's what you get for trying to eat Momo for dinner, Sokka," I joked. Our laughter broke through the cold air, instantly making me feel warmer.

I never felt so close to my siblings before. We may have been a family broken due to war, but Aang helped bring us together. I didn't know what we were going to come our way, but I knew I would be ready to step up. If I was ready to sacrifice myself for the Avatar by jumping off of a flying bison, I could handle a hotheaded teenage Firebender. At least, I hoped.

I know this is a quick update, but I updated quickly because I don't know when I'll be able to post another chapter. I am trying hard to make Kyra be her own person, and not just a mix of Sokka and Katara. I hope you could see that. Please stay tuned for further uploads. I am really trying to make this fanfic an enjoyable read. Kyra will have her own story to tell, guys! She's not just going to be an OC thrown into the series. Thank you to all those who have supported me so far. If you have any questions, you could ask them in your reviews and they'll be answered!


	6. The Warriors of Kyoshi

"You have no idea where we're going, don't you?" Sokka asked, staring at the map cluelessly.

We were traveling on Appa for a few days now, landing to mainly go on pit stops. So far, the only thing I saw ahead of us was a calm ocean. I laid on my back, staring at the clear image while Katara continued to sew our brother's pants. Aang wanted to take us somewhere he knew had giant koi fish. Apparently, he was going to ride them.

"Well... I know it's near water," Aang answered.

I sighed, "We've been surrounded by water for a while."

"I guess we're getting close then," Sokka said dryly.

I ended up glancing over at my sister, who was currently poking a needle through Sokka's ripped pants. I wasn't that great at sewing, mostly because I never took the time to actually learn it. It's as if I couldn't stay in one place for too long. When I held a needle in my hand, my hand started to shake and I couldn't concentrate. Maybe it was too boring for me.

"Hey Katara!" Aang said, breaking the silence. "Check out this Airbending trick!" He reached into his pockets and cupped something small into his hands. Aang removed his hands from the grip, bending air between his palms to make two marbles spin around in a circular motion. I tried to smile, but his wide, toothy grin made it hard to be genuine.

"That's great, Aang," Katara said, absentmindedly. She concentrated on her sewing, not paying much attention.

"You didn't even look," Aang told her.

There was a pause before she continued, "That's great!"

"I'm not even doing it now," Aang said, dismayed.

"So... it's great that you didn't look?" I assumed.

She ignored my question and simply continued to poke the needle through Sokka's ripped pants. I knew Aang liked Katara ever since he saw her when she rescued him from the Iceberg. She always seemed to care for him; sure, I did, but he was more like a pal. That's why he was my best friend.

"Stop bugging her, airhead," Sokka said, nonchalantly. "You need to give girls their space when they do their sewing."

I shot him a glare as Katara furred her eyebrows menacingly. There was no way Sokka was going to get away with this. Just because he was the oldest male in our tribe, that didn't give him the right to talk about girls in such a sexist way.

"What does me being a girl have to do with sewing?" Katara questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Sokka laid his head against the saddle, the back of his head resting on his arms. When that cocky smile appeared, I knew he was gonna say something stupid. My instant reaction was to prevent him from opening his mouth.

"You know what happened the last time you made Katara mad?" I asked him, trying to ease the tension. "We ended up waking an Airbender, who happened to be the Avatar," I felt my cheeks burn as I realized what I was saying, "well, that's not really a bad thing." I finished awkwardly, my voice dying down as I tried to avoid the others' stares.

In these types of situations, I was the one trying to break the two off. Being a girl, it probably made sense that I'd be offended. Taking sides never worked when it came to arguing with those two, but I felt like I was clearly on my sister's side.

"I'm just saying," Sokka held his hands in defense, "Girls are better at fixing pants than guys, and guys are better at hunting and fighting and stuff like that."

"Says who?" I asked, noticing Katara's glare through the corner of my eye.

"It's just the natural order of things," he continued. "I'm sure you'll understand it soon enough."

I hated the way he shrugged and acted as if he was being completely innocent. Has he been ignoring all those times when I proved him wrong? I actually caught fish when he couldn't; I even caught animals when he couldn't! Was that enough proof for him? Hunting helped me prove to others that I wasn't weak. I was capable of doing something!

"If _all_ guys are good hunters, then how come you sent a twelve year old girl to bring back meat when you _failed?_ " I questioned.

"It was one time!" Sokka whined

"Seems like more than once to me," I said, folding my arms defensively.

"Besides, that doesn't prove anything," Sokka replied, brushing me off.

"I'm a _girl!_ " I countered, "A twelve year old _girl_."

I pouted, scoffing at his cockiness. As much as I still loved Sokka, I wished he was a bit more realistic towards his "masculine" talents. When I looked at Katara, her furred eyebrows and frown obviously showed that she was mad.

"All done with your pants!" she said sarcastically, "And look what a great job I did!"

Katara tossed the pants at him. I couldn't help but smirk as the pants hit him in the face, completely covering it. He tried to free himself, scrambling after the legs that were dangling in the air.

"Wait, I was kidding," Sokka pleaded, "I can't wear those, and Kyra can barely sew! Katara, please!"

"Sokka, relax!" Aang said, enthusiastically. "Where we're going, you won't need any pants."

Katara and I gave Sokka and uneasy look. I knew I definitely didn't want to see my brother without his pants. Aang flicked harder on Appa's reigns, directing him to land on an island that was covered in mountains. We landed on the shore of a beach, sand tickling my feet. The particles of sand kind of felt like snow, though a lot warmer. I was looking forward to take a break from flying, but my siblings seemed to think otherwise.

"We just made a pit stop yesterday. Shouldn't we get a little more flying done before we camp out?" Sokka asked.

"At this rate, we won't get to the North Pole until spring," Katara agreed.

I shook my head, "I wouldn't mind taking a little break."

"Thank you Kyra," Aang said with a smile, before turning to Appa. "And besides, Appa's tired! Aren't you, boy?" The Air Nomad looked at his bison suggestively, but the bison remained silent. "I said, aren't you boy?" Aang repeated, causing a grunt to come out of Appa's mouth.

"Yeah, that's real convincing," Sokka said, sarcastically.

"Besides, it's hard to argue with something so cute!" I cooed, as I hugged the bison. Appa's soft fur rubbed against my fingers, and he let out a soft grunt. I felt his head rub against mine, letting me pet his back.

"He's a ten ton magical monster. What would you think?" Sokka said, dryly.

I stared at the water, tempting to jump in. The calm waves gently creeped against the shore. It brought me back to the South Pole, where I would watch the waves and try to mimic them. The way the water pushed and pulled always fascinated me, and I always felt at home near the ocean. I was glad Aang brought us here. He snapped me out of my trance as he eagerly pointed north.

"Look!"

I jumped as I heard the sound of a rough splash not too far away. There were groups of giant yellow fish with orange stripes. A smile creeped on my face as they jumped back into the water. They looked so elegant! I _had_ to ride them! I was always in for new things, and riding on the back of a koi fish was one of them.

"That's why we're here! Aang exclaimed, "Elephant koi, and I'm gonna ride it. Katara, you gotta watch me!"

I eagerly watched as he dived into the water, laughing when he jumped back in alarm while shouting, "Cold!" I smirked. Growing up in a village that was surrounded by ice, I got used to being around icy water. Slowly, my legs started to shift towards the water. In my mind, I was thinking that I was going to follow him; I guessed that Katara had other plans since she pulled me back by my shirt.

"Where do you think you're going?" my sister asked. She furred her eyebrows and folded her arms disapprovingly.

I gulped, laughing nervously, "Koi fish riding?"

"I'm not letting you get eaten by some fish!" Katara said, sternly.

Of course she wouldn't. Ever since I jumped out of Appa's saddle when Aang was unconscious, Katara was more overprotective of me. Even though I should've been happy to have a sister who looked out for me, sometimes she needed a little lesson on _fun._ Koi fish riding was fun; standing around and watching wasn't.

Sokka turned to us while making an "Aang is crazy" gesture by circling his finger on the side of his forehead. Katara gave me an uneasy look, but I couldn't help and think about the fact that I wasn't swimming right now. I wanted to feel my skin soaking in that water.

I hear another splash from the bay, and Aang was on the back of a koi fish with two following him. A huge smile spread on his face, and I heard him laughing a mile away.

"Woohoo!" Katara cheered.

"Go Aang," I said, dryly.

Sokka seemed to be as gloomy as I was. Well, he never really did like Aang. His arms were still folded just like mine, and he wasn't as amused as Katara.

"He looks pretty good out there," Katara commented.

" _I_ would've looked good too," I muttered.

"Eh, the fish is doing all the work," Sokka shrugged.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Katara trail off to Appa with alerted eyes. "No, Appa! Don't eat that!"

I looked back at Aang, squinting my eyes to get a closer look. As my vision got clearer, I saw two of the fish swimming away from something. My eyes widened in alert as I found that there was a shadow gaining on them!

"Aang!" I shouted.

"There's something in the water," Sokka said, alarmed.

Katara ran back with Momo screeching on her arm. She seemed to catch the fact that something was not right. "What's wrong?"

"Aang's in trouble," Sokka answered, before turning his attention to our stranded friend. "Aang!"

"Get out of there!" Katara yelled.

"There's something going after you!" I followed, looking down afterwards, "I guess I'm glad that I didn't go."

I started flailing my arms, motioning for him to come back. We really didn't need for the Avatar to be swallowed by some giant monster. Especially since he's our only hope in saving the world. I wasn't just scared for the world's safety; I definitely didn't want my best friend to be eaten.

I gasped as a huge dorsal fin creeped near him. The fish must've got scared, since it flicked Aang off it's back. I blinked as I saw him running on water for his life. It would've been so cool to walk on water! Then again, not cool if your friend was running away from what seemed to be a giant... _fish?_ It's hard to tell when you could only see the dorsal fin.

I winced as I saw the direction Aang was running to... My brother raised his eyebrows, completely alarmed.

 _Crash!_

Aang landed head-first on Sokka, sending him flying to a tree. I couldn't help but smirk, since I avoided getting hit by an inch. For some reason, my brother was the butt-monkey in situations like these.

I ran over to help him up, as Aang was getting dressed. Sokka rubbed his forehead to relieve the pain.

"What _was_ that thing?" Katara asked.

"It looked pretty dangerous," I said, matter of factly.

"I don't know," Aang said, shrugging.

Sokka stood up and wiped the dust off his pants, "Well, let's not stick around and find out. Time to hit the road."

Before I was able to make one step towards Appa, the four of us were surrounded by girls with green kimonos and fans. I froze in place, not knowing what to do. However, they had no hesitation to attack us. Sokka was pulled back and knocked over. I tensed as Katara was grabbed by her hood.

"Hey!" I shouted, as I felt one of the girls took me by the arm. My back ached as I was pinned down to the ground, right besides Aang. I squirmed as someone covered me with a blindfold, the world instantly becoming dark.

"Or we could stay while," Sokka said, nervously.

I couldn't have agreed more.

My body was tied against a hard surface. It almost felt like a wooden pole. My hands were tied against my back. I hated to say that I was still blindfolded, not being able to see a thing. This position was _really_ starting to get uncomfortable.

" _You four_ have some explaining to do," an old, deep voice spoke.

"And if you don't answer our questions, we're throwing you back into the water with the Unagi," a more feminine voice threatened.

I gulped as I heard the words _back into the water._ As much as I did want to go koi fish riding, I didn't want to get eaten.

"Show yourselves cowards!" Sokka demanded.

I blinked a few times as my blindfold was removed. The light pierced my eyes and drained my vision until it grew clearer. The girls that attacked us looked at us menacingly. Villagers dressed in blue clothing were gathered around a bearded elderly man. I was glued in between Sokka and Katara with Aang on my far right.

"Who are you? Where are the men that ambushed us?" Sokka asked, aggressively.

I shook my head at his stupidity. Of course he wouldn't think that the girls who's faces were painted in some sort of _warrior_ make-up would attack us.

"There were no men, Sokka," I told him, " _They_ ambushed us."

"Smart kid," the same girl said. "Now tell us! Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Wait a second! There's no way a bunch of girls could take us down," Sokka said, mockingly.

If I could've moved my arms, I would've strangled him by now. Did he seriously have to be so sexist at a time like this?

"A bunch of _girls,_ huh?" the girl threatened, grabbing him by his collar, "The Unagi's gonna eat well tonight."

Sweat ran down my back. I was too young to get eaten by a dangerous sea creature! I looked down to avoid eye contact.

"No, don't hurt him! Our brother is just an idiot sometimes," Katara pleaded.

"Yeah, he can be a real butt-head," I added. I smirked as Sokka turned over to glare at me.

"It's my fault," Aang apologized. I turned to him, surprised that he spoke up. "I'm sorry we came here. I wanted to ride the elephant koi."

"How do we know you're not Fire Nation spies?" the old man asked, pointing his finger at us abruptly.

I understood that we lived in a world where people were blinded by war, but how delusional could one elderly person get? Then again, as I thought back to the time where we first met Aang, that kind of made sense. I still felt pretty agitated when he just accused us like that.

"Do we look like Fire Nation spies?" I sassed.

"Kyra!" Katara scolded. I simply ignored her, focusing on the old man.

"Kyoshi," the man started, glaring at me before continuing, "has stayed out of the war so far, and we intend to keep it that way."

Aang's eyes lit up, "This Island is named after Kyoshi? I know Kyoshi!"

At first, I was confused. An ordinary person would be questioning him, mainly because he didn't look like he would've known a woman who lived before Avatar Roku. Then again, know one knew that Aang was the Avatar. It all made sense when the four of us visited the Southern Ajr Temple a few days ago. Looking at that man, he seemed confused too. He looked at Aang as if he was crazy, with his raised eyebrows and shocked facial expression.

"Avatar Kyoshi was born four hundred years ago! How could you possibly know her?!" he spat.

"Good to know! Have you met her four hundred years ago?" I retorted. That might've sounded mean, but I was defending my friend's honor.

That was when Katara's foot somehow made contact with my body. I wanted to rub my leg to ease the pain, but I couldn't. Great.

"I know her because I'm the Avatar," Aang spoke in a calm voice, looking at the villagers hopefully.

As he spoke, the people stared at him with disbelief. At first, I didn't think he was the Avatar because he could've been any Airbender. My body started to feel heavy, knowing that we had to do something fast. No one would just believe him willingly.

"That's impossible!" the girl exclaimed, "The last Avatar was an Airbender who disappeared a hundred years ago!"

"That's me!" Aang smiled.

"If you haven't noticed, my friend over here is wearing clothes that came from the original Airbenders," I said, defensively. "Plus, he has an arrow."

Aang grinned sheepishly as I mentioned the arrow on his forehead. When I looked at the old man, he seemed to be taking my words into consideration.

"You do have a good point," he agreed, nodding his head.

When I turned to my siblings, I felt a huge sigh of relief escape my lungs. We shared a hopeful glance, but were we really going to get away with it?

"But that doesn't prove that he's the Avatar," the old man concluded. I tensed, and a heavy gulp got stuck in my throat. "Throw the imposters to the Unagi!"

My eyes wandered around anxiously. I bit my lip. _This is it,_ I thought, _I'm not going to die a hero, but cowardly eaten by a giant fish._ Unless Aang did some flashy move, we're toast!

"Aang, do some Airbending," Katara muttered.

Aang pushed himself off the ground, leaving a large dust cloud behind as sky rocketed into the air. The crowd gasped as he used the fan engraved on the painting to rip the rope in half. I had to admit, it was pretty impressive. Almost immediately, we heard whispers from the crowd.

Aang landed gently on the ground, as everyone stared at him in shock. More people started to gather towards Aang, because they couldn't believe their eyes.

"It's true," the man gasped, "You are the Avatar!"

"It took us a while to figure that out," I said. My siblings didn't hesitate to agree with me. The way the villagers looked at Aang with fascination and awe didn't surprise me at all.

"Now," Aang said, a twinkle forming in his eye as he reached for his pocket. I signed, knowing what he was about to do. "Check this out!" He released his palms and made the marbles circle around. I shook my head as the crowd cheered; it wasn't that impressive if you've seen it way too many times. I stared at this guy with an amused look as he started to squeal, foam forming in his mouth. Cool!

I had this gut feeling that I was really going to like it here.

As the day continued, we settled down in the village. We were invited to stay in the home of Oyagi, the Leader. Every wear I went, people gave me strange looks. They cocked their eyebrows and whispered to each other, sometimes even pointing. Was it because of the way I looked? The way I acted? I felt so over whelmed by the way people glanced at me that I forgot the reason why I walked out in the first place.

Ever since we left the South Pole, I realized that I was weak. I didn't know how to fight; I was just a small, vulnerable little kid. Sure I was good at some things, like hunting, but that was going to help me survive one way. I didn't even know how to Waterbend that well! I was thinking, maybe I could get a lesson from the girls that attacked us?

I approached the markets, where there were multiple stands of fruits and vegetables. People scurried around excitedly, eagerly chatting to one another. That was when I saw a group of eight girls in the green kimonos, only without makeup. I was startled at first; they just looked so different. They were disguised as regular citizens. I felt my feet dragging me towards them.

"Uh... hi," I stuttered, scratching the back of my neck, "You look a lot different without your makeup. I almost didn't recognize you as the girls that nearly attacked us."

"Are makeup is apart of our tradition," the lead warrior smiled.

I blinked. I didn't know she would be so friendly. I guessed it was because of the way she accused us before.

"Thanks for not feeding us to that Unagi," I said.

"We didn't know you were traveling with the Avatar," the girl answered, "You must've come a long way."

"All the way from the South Pole," I shrugged. "It's more like a camp site than a village."

"Well, we hope you enjoy your stay here," the girl said. "I'm Suki."

"Kyra," I answered, offering my hand. She shook it with a firm grip. "Say, do you mind if I stop by for training?"

"Training?" Suki repeated.

"Yeah, it would be nice to know some techniques. We have a lot of run-ins with Firebenders."

Suki turned to the girls, who nodded in response.

"Is that so?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why not, then? Stop by our dojo later on."

With that, she turned her head around, walking away in a hurry. I picked up my pace as I headed back to Oyagi's place, swinging my arms back and forth. I didn't know what time it was, but the group was probably eating breakfast right now.

I stopped in my tracks as I heard a familiar grunt sound. I turned to see Appa, who was being groomed while painters fixed up Kyoshi's statue. I couldn't help but smirk as the flees were removed his fur was combed. However, that was nothing compared to the royal treatment we were going to get.

When I entered the wooded house, the two long dining tables were already filled with so many types of treats. Some were vibrant colored and tempting while others were simple, but elegant. I couldn't wait to dig in! I sat in between Katara and Aang, whom were already seared. Momo started lunging for sweets, while Katara was a little hesitant as waiters switched dishes around.

"Hey guys! What did I miss?" I asked.

"Nothing much. Just in time for-" Katara started.

"All right!" Aang cheered, thrusting his hands in the air. "Desert for breakfast!" he started stuffing his mouth with the sweets and pastries, "They sure know how to treat an Avatar!"

I quickly stuffed a pastry into my mouth. It tasted so sweet, and it felt so good to finally have something to eat that's made by humans. Trust me, you don't want to ask what else I've been putting into my stomach. When you're traveling to the other side of the world, you'd need to eat whatever you can find.

"Mhm! Katara, you gotta try these!" Aang offered her an orange covered gooey sweet.

"Don't hesitate!" I added.

Katara looked over at his hand hesitantly, but took it anyway. I knew she liked it, because she started grabbing sweets one by one. Looks like I'm not the only one in my family that has a sweet tooth! Speaking of sweat tooth, I looked over at Sokka. He hasn't touched anything, which was weird because he's the biggest eater in the family.

"Sokka, what's you're problem? Eat!" Aang encouraged.

"Not hungry," Sokka muttered, staring gloomily at his feet.

I raised my eyebrows at him. I never thought I'd see a day when my meat-loving brother wouldn't want to eat. Back at home he would always be the one to finish his food first. There _had_ to be a good reason why he wasn't hungry.

"But Sokka, you're always hungry!" Aang voiced my thoughts.

"What's up with him?" I asked.

"He's just upset because a bunch of _girls_ kicked his butt yesterday," Katara snickered. She was probably satisfied that a girl taught him a lesson. By the looks of it, that broke his ego big time. Hopefully that would make a lasting impact on him.

Sokka made a fist, protesting. "They snuck up on me!"

"Right, and _then_ they kicked your butt!" my older sister smirked.

"Sneak attacks don't count!" he stood up defensively. As he walked over to our table, I sneaked up behind him. My lips stretched into a mischievous smile as I playfully punched him on the shoulder. He turned to me with a glare, "Fine, that counts," he muttered, grabbing a few sweets before gritting his teeth, "Tie me up with ropes, I'll show them a thing or two. I'm not scared of any girls," he stuffed a sweet in his mouth, "This is tasty..." With that, Sokka stomped away, leaving Aang, my sister and I.

My stomach seemed to be getting full by the minute,so I tried to finish what I had in my hand. We were always supposed to finish what we were given back home because it was a sign of respect, and meals were scarce sometimes. You had to finish even if it tasted like spoiled seaweed, but it was a good thing they didn't have any here!

"Kyra, slow down," Katara said, calmly, "You're eating too fast."

I felt my cheeks grow a slight pink as I slowly lowered my arms. Katara got pretty annoying once in a while when she tried to look out for me. Don't do this; don't do that. I knew she was looking out for me, but she got a bit too... motherly.

All I wanted to do was get up and leave, so I decided to go with the easy way out.

My eyes darted around, "Uh... I'm just gonna go," I said, awkwardly. Before I headed out, I grabbed one more sweet, trying to ignore Aang and Katara's confused expressions.  
***

All I saw on the rode were bright green trees. Dozens of them. Even though it was a nice exchange for patches of snow, seeing so much grass was overwhelming. I paused in my tracks as I had a familiar high pitched screeching sound. It sounded as if someone was getting a beat down

The path lead me to a large wooden house. As I approached, I kept hearing more groans and screeches. Sokka! I couldn't believe I didn't recognize his high pitched voice! I ran into the room. The girls were dressed in their makeup and kimonos. I blinked, my eyes darting over to Sokka, who was getting a good beat up.

"Uh... I'm here for," I was interrupted by a loud _thud_! Sokka was on his stomach, his hand tied to his leg. "Warrior training?"

A faint blush appeared on his cheeks as Suki towered over him, smirking. "Is there anything else you want to teach us?" The girls laughed, causing Sokka to look down in embarrassment. I sort of felt sympathetic, but he deserved it.

I sighed, "I don't even wanna know."

"Your _brother_ decided he could give us a lesson," Suki said, mockingly. "He did say he was the best warrior in your village."

I gritted my teeth, "Just because he's the _only_ warrior, doesn't mean he's a good one."

As I said this, Sokka stood up and left without making eye contact. He kept his head dow, knowing that his ego was completely shattered. Suddenly I felt this little _pinch_ in my heart. This new wave of emotions took over. _Did I really feel sorry for him? I mean, he did say all those dumb things about girls. The question was, did he learn his lesson?_

I was brought out of my trance by the sound of Suki's voice. "Alright girls, we should go back into our regular routine. Let's try to push _that_ event away and help Kyra get ready. She'll be training with us today."

The girls smiled cheekily at me. I really wanted to be accepted by them, since I never met female warriors before.

"Speaking of training, let's get her into one of our traditions," Suki continued.

Before I was able to ask any more questions, I was seated on a chair. Two girls started covering me in powder and makeup. It was sort of similar to Sokka's warrior makeup he wore when fighting the Fire Nation for the first time. My face was covered in white powder, and my eyes were outlined with red makeup. I got dressed into one of those "kimonos" the girls wore, and they were surprisingly comfortable.

When I looked into my reflection, I barely recognized myself. I never liked makeup, but warrior makeup was an acception. I felt this strange new sense of power in myself, this ability that I could be a stronger version of myself. The Kyoshi Warriors giggled and gushed at my new transformation, and I couldn't have been more pleased! I was really going to learn how to fight like them! I couldn't wait for the others to see me with my new fans and waistband!

The girls started getting into groups according to Suki's instructions. She took me by her side and started demonstrating techniques one-on-one. There seemed to be a lot of stealth and ease in her moves. When she demonstrated, it looked like she was just disarming something the entire time.

"Try to follow my wrist movements," she guided me, "Let your energy flow and guide it."

"Like this?" I asked. I started copying her movements, but I seemed so stiff. My heart raced as I tried to copy her movements, but they were all so rough and out of control. My cheeks turned red as I accidentally let go of my fan. I winced as it-let's say- _accidentally_ smashed into the wall.

"Oops?"

Suki laughed, "It's okay. We all started training when we were a lot younger, and we kept making the same mistakes," she put a hand on my shoulder, "You'll get the hang of it."

"I feel like I could really use this," I said. "What if I can't bend anymore? It would be nice to know how to fight in different ways."

"You're a Waterbender?" she raised an eyebrow.

"My sister and I are the last Waterbenders in the South Pole," I nodded, "I admire how you fight. You're not scared."

"It takes a lot of practice and hard work," Suki said.

"Hard work..." I repeated. "Can I try again?"

"Of course," she smiled.

The two of us started practicing. As I followed Suki, she showed me how the fan was an extension of the arm. That was the main focus of energy. I continued repeating the moves over and over, concentrating on my internal flow.

"Remember, use the fan as an extension," Suki instructed.

I closed my eyes, concentrating on my movements. I moved my hands, balancing the energy flow. As I flicked my wrist, I removed the fan that Suki held in her arms! I felt this huge wave of pride.

"I did it!" I cheered.

"Not bad," Suki said, nodding in approval.

Just as the girls started to clap for me, I heard a set of heavy footsteps approach us. Sokka stood in front of me, and it was the frown that got my attention.

"Uh... hey, Suki," Sokka greeted timidly. The two of us looked up at him, alarmed that he was there.

"What are you doing here?" I sneered.

"I-um," he stuttered.

"Hoping for another dance lesson?" Suki mocked him.

"No, I-let me explain."

"Spit it out!" Suki said, impatiently.

I backed up as Sokka bent down on his knees. My jaw dropped open slightly. My brother; my sexist brother, showing this type of respect to a girl?! I raised an eyebrow at him. We bowed to those who were higher in class. Maybe he really did change...

"I would be honored if you would teach me," he admitted.

"Even if I'm a _girl_?" Suki asked, bitterly. She crossed her arms in defence.

"I'm sorry if I insulted you earlier, but I needed to make a point out to you. Kyra-" he started, and I felt my eyes widen when he said my name. "You're my sister, and I have to respect that you have some skills that other girls might not have, that _I_ may not even have."

"What other girls?" I glared.

"You're not afraid to fight," he explained, "You're brave, and you're strong... Something that I'm trying so hard to be. Please except my apol-"

I interrupted him, wrapping my arms around him. I pulled him tighter than I ever did before. I even felt a soft tear slid down my cheek! I _never_ expected this from him.

"I love you Sokka," I whispered.

The two of us smiled at each other. This was the sweetest thing he ever told me, and I never expected this from him! This was _Sokka_ we're talking about!

"Nice speech," Suki smirked to herself. "But-"

"I'm sorry if I insulted you earlier. I was... wrong," Sokka finally managed to say.

"Can you say that again?" I piped up.

"Hey, one time is enough," he answered.

"We normally don't teach outsiders, let alone boys. Kyra was an exception."

Sokka stared her in the eye, "Please make an exception. I promise, I won't let you down," he begged.

"All right," Suki said in a friendlier tone, "But you have to follow all of our traditions."

"Of course!" Sokka said, eagerly.

It was my time to smirk, "but she means _all_ of them."

"Kyra, you know me. I can handle anything!"

"Oh really?" I challenged.

In a matter of seconds, Sokka dressed just like one of us: a Kyoshi Warrior! Even though the makeup and dress didn't really fit him, it was tradition! To be honest, he looked really weird.

"Do I really have to wear this?" he complained, looking down in embarrassment. "It feels a little...girly."

"It's a _kimono_ ," I corrected him.

"She's right. It's a warriors uniform, you should be proud," Suki said. "The silk threads symbolize the brave blood that flows through our veins. The gold insignia represents the honor of the warrior's heart."

"What about the waistband on our foreheads?" I asked.

Suki shrugged. "They're just used for decoration."

"Bravery and honor," Sokka smiled himself.

As he spoke, I noticed Aang pass by the dojo and peering out the door. Sokka had a look that basically read "please don't say anything!", but I had different plans!

"Hey Aang!"

He looked over at me, a huge grin spreading on his face. "Hey Kyra! Hey Sokka! Nice dress!" he laughed to himself, before running off to who-knows-where. Even thought Sokka was blushing a deep red, he was going to laugh at this moment later.

I had to admit, Sokka was improving quite a bit! He slowly started to get the extension. Suki taught him the moves I learned earlier, and he started getting use to it after I kept doing it with him.

"You're not going to master it in one day. Even I'm not that good. I was quite impressed when Kyra was able to learn it so quickly," Suki complimented me.

"Thanks Suki!" I replied.

"I think I'm starting to get it," he said, and started performing the drill we practiced. He wasn't doing that bad, but he lost balance and ended up throwing his fan out the door. It smashed into a tree, causing it to shake a bit.

Suki walked over to Sokka. "It's not about strength. Our technique is about using your opponents' force against them. Loosen up," she instructed, pointing her fan at him. "Think of the fan as an extension of your arm," my brother got into battle position, "Wait for an opening and then..."

She striked at him, but he used her energy to knock her down. Sokka smiled at her smugly, folding his arms.

"Sokka one, Suki zero!" I announced, and that made Suki even more irritated.

"I fell to make you _feel_ better," she sneered.

"I got you! Admit I got you!" Sokka grinned with pride. Suki laughed and bent his hand, causing him to wince in pain. That _got_ to hurt!

"Go Suki!" I cheered her on.

Sokka turned to me, "Hey! Who's side are you on?"

"Okay, it was a lucky shot," she agreed, but then her expression quickly changed to a smirk. "Let's see if you can do it again."

She eyed me, and I knew that I should get into battle stance. We circled around Sokka, but just as we were about to strike, Oyagi ran over to us. He seemed to be troubled, since he was panting heavily.

"Firebenders have arrived!" he announced, "Girls, come quickly!"

Suki and the other girls started rushing to battle, while Sokka quietly muttered that he wasn't a girl. I sighed, dragging him by his kimono. He was going to have to fight, even if he did look like a little more feminine than he liked.

I took out my fans and charged outside. The area was too quiet to my liking, almost ghostly. I made it out just when the Warriors were getting into their stationary places. I just stood outside the dojo, and I couldn't move because my bones tightened. I knew this would be my first real battle against the Firebenders.

"Come out Avatar!" a familiar voice bellowed. "You can't hide from me forever!"

Zuko; I should've known! When I looked closer, I realized he and his men were standing near the statue of Avatar Kyoshi. That meant I had to jump pretty far to land near one of the soldiers. The other Warriors were near me, but I decided to stay behind my brother. We quickly ran on top of the houses so that we won't get caught beforehand.

"Find him," the Prince ordered.

Just as he spoke, I charged along with a few other Kyoshi Warriors. I was able to attack one man with my feet, and attacked one with a fan at the same time. Suki was right behind me, unleashing a spinning kick to attack one of the men. As a result, she was beaten with the tail of the rhino. I winced as it lashed at her.

"Let's go find Sokka!" she told me.

We ran towards the dojo, but we didn't only find my brother-we saw Zuko as well. We circled around him. He shot a huge fire blast on me, the heat close enough to burn my hand. I lost balance, and got knocked backwards as a result. I couldn't get up because my back was to stiff. I lightened up as my brother was running towards me.

"Kyra! Are you alright?" Sokka asked, worried.

"Sort of..." I mumbled.

"I guess that training's over," he said.

"You think?" I told him.

Suki and Sokka glanced at each other before running towards Zuko. So far he was knocked down, but I could tell he had more plans; I saw the look in his eye. He stood up on his back, and started to shoot fire out his feet. I tried to avoid his hit, and I was sort of successful, though the other Warriors were hit instead. Sokka fell on his back right next to me, and Zuko angrily looked around for Aang.

"Nice try, Avatar! But these little girls can't save you!" he called out, hoping to get Aang to come out.

For our sake, he did.

"Hey! Over here!" I heard Aang's voice shout from behind. He held out his staff, ready for battle.

"Finally!" Zuko whispered to himself, his nostrils flaring in anger.

Two fireballs were fired at him, and Aang blocked him with his glider. So far he had it under control, but Zuko shot another blast of fire that knocked his staff from the grip of his hand! My heart made a leap as I saw his worried face. He jumped off and picked up two of my fans that I dropped before Zuko started to run at him full force. Aang puffed in some air into his chest and used the fans to control the currents. This caused him to be pushed all the way to a house and get knocked over, letting Aang get an easy escape.

But I knew my job was not done yet.

I rushed over to some of the Kyoshi Warriors and started to fight two men. I threw a fan at one of them, causing him to get knocked off the rhino, while the other tackled the other off it's rhino. Suki then appeared from behind, rushing over to me.

"Get out with your brother! I'll help hold them off," she told me.

I ran over to Sokka, and the two of us headed towards Aang and Katara. Before I climbed up on Appa, I called out to Suki."Thanks for training me!" I thought she heard me because she smiled, but it was time to get out of here!

"Come on Kyra, Sokka!" Aang shouted out to us. Sokka helped me get on Appa by pushing me upwards, and I pulled him on both hands. "Appa, yip yip!" I heard Aang say, and in a matter of seconds we were soaring in the sky just like before. Only this time we're running away from Firebenders, and not hog monkeys.

When I looked down, I noticed Kyoshi Island covered in flames. Each building at least had one flame burning it down, even the statue of Kyoshi herself. Almost everything was ruined, and I couldn't help but feel a lump in my throat, the guilt rushing through me.

"I know it's hard, but you did the right thing," Katara reassured Aang, who put his head down in disappointment. I started to wipe my makeup off with my sleeve. "Zuko would have destroyed the whole place if we had stayed. They're going to be okay, Aang."

"Are you sure about that?" I asked. "He practically _almost_ destroyed the whole village."

"She's right," Aang mused to himself, and his eyes squinted to a view of the town. I knew what he was doing, I had the same face when I was about to jump into the ocean to save him. In other words, he was going to do something stupid and dangerous.

"What are you doing?" Katara asked, worried.

Without saying a word, he leaped off of Appa. The two weren't as worried as they were with me, because Aang was an Airbender _._ I watched closely as he dived into the water, not even blinking once. Though I _did_ blink when I saw the thing he was on top of! _The_ Unagi; he was riding the Unagi!

I quickly took over and pulled the bison's reins, directing him a little closer so we wouldn't have much distance. Aang; pulled on the eel's reigns, sprinkling water all over the village. It didn't take long for the fire to quickly disappear into thin air, leaving the village soaking wet. I was relieved when he jumped onto the Appa unharmed!

" _That_ was amazing," I told him. "You were all _whoosh_ , and _bam!_ You saved the village!"

Aang rubbed his head nervously as I spoke, "I know, I know. It was stupid and dangerous."

"Yes, it was," Katara smirked. To my surprise-and Aang's as well-she hugged him! I was happy that he finally got to impress my sister. As long as Aang was smiling gleefully, I was smiling gleefully. There was nothing that could ruin this moment.

Even though this Island is small, the village will definitely have a big place in my heart. I got to learn how to fight from this amazing warrior, who happened to be a girl. Yes, I was going to miss Kyoshi, but I was hoping to have more adventures.

"Where are we heading to next, Aang?" I asked.

"Omashu!" Aang answered, triumphantly.

New places meant new adventures and people to meet. Besides, something told me that I wasn't saying goodbye to the Kyoshi Warriors for long.

I hope you guys like this chapter! I'm having a lot of fun working on this series and it's really helping me develop my writing style. Thank you so much to the people that are reading this and commenting!


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